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THE  RISEN  REDEEMER: 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  FROM  THE  RESURRECTION 
TO  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 


THE  RISEN  RED 


THE    GOSPEL    HTSTO 


FROM    THE 


'§,(mxxtdwn  ia  t^t  gag  of  '^mUtant 


BY 


F.    W.    KRUMMACHER,  D.  D., 

AUTHOR    OF    "  ELIJAH   THE   T18IIBITE." 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  BY  JOHN  T.  BETTS, 

SEitf)  tf)c  Sanction  of  ttc  author. 


NEW  YORK: 
ROBERT  CARTER  &  BROTHERS 

No.    5  30   BROADWAY. 
1863. 


PEEFACE. 


The  bodily  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead  is  the  fun- 
damental basis  of  Christianity.  "  If  Christ  be  not  risen 
from  the  dead,"  exclaims  the  apostle,  "  then  is  your  faith 
vain/'  So  long  as  the  hostile  critic  does  not  succeed  in 
effacing  that  fact  as  a  fable  from  the  page  of  history,  all 
efforts  to  subvert  the  supernatural  basis  of  our  faith  and 
hope  are  in  vain ;  and  however  zealously  the  rash  work  of 
destruction  has  been  prosecuted,  it  has,  up  to  the  present 
hour,  been  a  failure.  The  miracle  of  the  third  day  has 
resisted  all  levers  and  engines  exerted  against  it  by  refined 
subtilty,  as  completely  as  if  they  were  no  more  than  the 
jugglery  of  a  paltry  legerdemain.  This  one  miracle,  well 
sustained,  bears,  supports,  and  accredits  all  the  others  to 
which  the  gospel  bears  testimony ;  and  it  stands  still,  and 
will  continue  to  defy,  every  assault. 

It  is  worthy  of  observation,  that  even  David  Strauss,  the 
renowned  chief  of  the  most  recent  assailants  of  Heaven,  finds 
himself  constrained  openly  to  admit,  that  the  notion  that 
the  first  disciples  of  Jesus,  the  apostles,  were  not  themselves 
fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of  His  bodily  resurrection,  is 


PEEFACE. 

utterly  untenable,  and  must  be  given  up.     This  declaration 

ap23ears  in  his  recently-published  work  upon  the  writings  of 
his  intellectual  progenitor,  Reimarus. 

We  attach  importance  to  this  confession  of  an  arch  enemy 
of  all  sacred  history  the  rather,  because  the  only  and  last 
shift  by  which  he  seeks  to  find  an  excuse  for  his  infidelity  is 
truly  absurd;  for  he  endeavours  to  persuade  himself,  and 
this  undoubtedly  in  opposition  to  his  better  knowledge  and 
conviction,  that  the  disciples  confounded  a  beautiful  phan- 
tasy with  a  historical  fact.  Thus  doth  the  Lord  take  the 
wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and,  as  we  suggest,  renders  the 
cleverest  men,  ere  they  are  aware  of  it,  sport  for  children. 

In  the  present  work,  the  author,  in  his  endeavour  to  pro- 
mote edification,  unites  also  an  apologetic  aim,  and  hopes, 
with  the  Divine  blessing,  to  assist  in  strengthening  the  faith 
of  the  conscientious  doubter  by  clearing  away  his  difi&culties 
in  a  sympathetic  spirit.  This  work,  published  [in  Germany] 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Easter  Manual,"  forms,  with  his  two 
l^receding  works,  the  book  for  the  season  of  Advent,  and 
that  for  Passion-week,  a  devotional  trilogy,  for  these  three 
ecclesiastical  epochs.  It  will  be  gratifying  to  find  this  work  as 
favourably  received  as  the  preceding  ones.  It  treats  of  the 
loftiest  and  most  delightful  subject  of  contemplation  that  can 
occupy  us  here  on  earth.  May  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seal 
the  testimony  as  true  to  many  a  heart,  however  feeble  the 
form  in  which  it  is  presented  ! 

DR  F.  W.  KRUMMACHER. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

DISCOURSE  I. 

EASTE&-EVEN 1 

DISCOURSE  II. 

THE    MIRACLE    OF    EASTEB 12 

DISCOURSE   III. 

THE    EMPTY    GRAVE 27 

DISCOURSE   IV. 
Christ's  first  appe.\rance 41 

DISCOURSE  V. 

THE    RISEN    ONE    APPEARS    TO    THE    WOMEN    AND    TO    SIMON 65 

DISCOURSE   VI. 

THE    DISCIPLES    AT    EMMAL'S. FIRST    MEDITATION 67 

DISCOURSE  VII. 

THE    DISCIPLES    AT    EMMAIS. SK(  OND    MEDITATION 86 

DISCOURSE  VIII. 

THE    PRINCE    OF    PEACE    IN    THE    EVENING    ASSEMBLY 96 

DISCOURSE   IX. 

THOMAS Ill 

(Vii) 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

DISCOURSE  X. 

THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE 127 

DISCOURSE  XI. 
Peter's  love  to  christ  tested 140 

DISCOURSE   XII. 
Peter's  way 154 

DISCOURSE   XIII. 

THE    RISEN    SAVIOUR    SEEN    OF    MORE     THAN    FIVE    HUNDRED    WITNESSES   AT 

ONCE 1  70 

DISCOURSE   XIV. 

THE    RISEN    SAVIOUR    AND    JAMES , 183 

DISCOURSE   XV. 

THE    APPEARANCE    ON    THE    MOUNTAIN .  .      195 

DISCOURSE   XVI. 

THE    ASCENSION 212 

DISCOURSE   XVII. 

THE    TIME    OF    WAITING 228 

DISCOURSE   XVIII. 

THE   DAY    OF    PENTECOST 241 

DISCOURSE   XIX. 

THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST . 260 

DISCOURSE   XX. 

THE   PENTECOSTAL   COMFORTER      273 

DISCOURSE   XXI. 

THE    PENTECOSTAL   COMMUNITY 285 


I 

EASTEE-EVEN. 

"  If  Christ  be  not  raised,"  exclaims  the  apostle,  (1  Cor.  xv. 
17,)  "your  faith  is  vain."  Truer  words  were  never  uttered 
than  these,  and  never  was  their  truth  more  distinctly  and 
palpably  manifested  than  in  our  own  day.  Human  wisdom 
has  exhausted  itself  in  speculations,  and  has  set  every  engine 
in  motion  to  obtain  a  final  settlement  of  the  question,  "  To 
be,  or  not  to  be?"  What  has  been  the  result  ?  Our  philo- 
sopiiic  inquirers,  wearied  with  their  flights  of  thought,  have 
ended  in  confessing  that  the  prospect  of  a  personal  existence 
after  death  becomes  more  and  more  obscure  to  their  investi- 
gations. There  remains  therefore  the  one,  but  (God  be 
praised !)  the  far  more  than  sufficient,  pillar  of  our  hope — 
that  great  historical  fact,  the  memorial  of  which  we  celebrate 
at  Easter.  To  this  event,  the  most  teeming  with  promise  of 
any  within  the  range  of  universal  history,  we  would  devote 
a  fresh  series  of  meditations,  and  may  your  heartfelt  sympa- 
thies not  fail  us  whilst  we  seek  to  lay  them  before  you.  Our 
purpose  is  restricted  to  the  strengthening  of  your  conviction 
of  the  reality  of  the  great  event,  so  as  to  render  your  faitli 
immovable ;  and  then  to  lead  you  on  to  the  joyful  and  be- 
lieving appropriation  of  this  most  consolatory  of  all  miracles. 
iMay  the  Lord  graciously  give  me  success  in  both  attempts, 
and  may  He  cro\\n  that  of  Easter-even,  to  whicli  I  now  in- 
vite you,  with  His  blessiuij;  1 


EASTEE-EVEN. 


Matt,  xxvii.  62-66. 


"  Now  the  next  day,  that  followed  the  day  of  the  preparation,  the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  came  together  unto  Pilate,  saying.  Sir,  we  remember 
that  that  deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive.  After  three  days  I  will  rise 
again.  Command  therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be  made  sure  until  the 
third  day,  lest  his  disciples  come  by  night,  and  steal  him  away,  and  say 
unto  the  people,  He  is  risen  from  the  dead  :  so  the  last  error  shall  be  worse 
than  the  first.  Pilate  said  unto  them.  Ye  have  a  watch :  go  your  way, 
make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can.  So  they  went,  and  made  the  sepulchre  sure, 
sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch." 

Be  not  dismayed  when  you  see  the  Lord  of  glory  treated 
as  a  malefactor  even  at  the  grave.  What  His  enemies  there 
dared  to  attempt  turns  out,  under  God's  guidance,  only  to 
His  own  glorification.  It  is  a  guard  of  honour  with  which 
they  unwillingly  surround  His  resting-place.  They  are 
actually  constructing  Him  a  throne,  whilst  they  purpose  only 
to  erect  a  pillory  on  which  to  disgrace  Him  publicly,  and  to 
brand  Him  as  a  deceiver.  They  design  to  perpetuate  Good 
Friday,  and  they  underlay  the  glory  of  Easter  with  a  foil 
upon  which  it  develops  itself  the  more  brilliantly.  Let  us 
in  thought  draw  nearer  to  this  extraordinary  scene.  After 
contemplating  the  involuntary  celebration  of  Easter-eve  by 
His  adversaries,  let  us  with  very  different  sentiments  perform 
its  proper  celebration  at  the  holy  sepulchre,  which  may  God 
bless  ! 

I  The  soul-deserted  body  of  the  Lord  has  rested  the  first 
night  in  its  narrow  stone  chamber,  but  His  murderers,  the 
members  of  the  Sanhedrim,  have  not.  We  already  meet 
them  at  early  dawn  moving  about  restlessly,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  their  features  betokens  anything  rather  than  triumph 
and  inward  peace.  Have  they  seen  a  departed  spirit  in  the 
nioht  ?  Yes  ;  wherever  they  go  or  stay  He  whom  bodily  they 
slew  on  the  cross  presents  Himself,  and  follows  them  like  a 
spectre.  They  have  murdered  Him,  but  they  have  not  got 
rid  of  Him.    Tliey  are  fully  conscious  tliat  tliey  have  dragged 


EASTER-EVEN.  3 

an  innocent,  guiltless  man  to  execution,  but  tlie  awakened 
conscience  is  not  to  be  lulled  witli  lying  subterfuges,  as  if 
He  had  attacked  Moses,  had  reviled  the  temiDle,  and  had  led 
the  people  astray.  Wliat  they  witnessed  at  Golgotha,  the 
glorious  termination  of  the  righteous  One's  career,  the  public 
confession  of  the  lieathen  centurion,  and  especially  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Almighty  by  the  darkened  sun,  the  earth- 
quake, and  the  opening  of  the  graves,  served  but  to  render 
them  more  sensitive  to  the  lashes  of  that  scourge  which  the 
judge  within  their  breast  incessantly  inflicted  on  them.  What 
marvel  then  if  the  Crucified  One,  in  the  form  of  a  bloody 
spectre,  was  ever  present  to  them,  chasing  away  sleep  from 
their  eyes  ?  Assuredly  there  is  not  a  man  amongst  us  who 
has  decidedly  rejected  Christ  that  can  ever  wholly  banish 
Him.  Such  a  one,  though  he  decline  to  confess  it,  lives 
ever  in  a  secret  feud  with  his  conscious  inner  life.  The  soul 
within  him  cannot  avoid  recognising  the  superimman  exalta- 
tion of  Jesus,  and  at  the  same  time  His  just  claim  to  the 
homage  and  subjection  of  all.  However  earnestly  he  may 
combat  and  strive  to  silence  this  inner  self,  it  will  incessantly 
whisper,  "Thou  rejectest  thy  liege  Lord  and  only  Saviour." 
He  hates  the  preaching  about  Christ,  not  because  it  is,  as  he 
pretends,  senseless  and  superstitious,  but  because  there  is,  as 
has  been  said,  a  something  unconquerable  within  him,  which, 
notwithstanding  all  his  unbelief,  believes,  counsels,  and 
prompts  him  to  render  the  homage  due,  while  the  man  re- 
bels and  will  not  consent  that  He  should  reign  over  him, 
wlio  gives  His  followers  and  disciples  to  anticipate  through 
life  self-denial  instead  of  enjoyment,  and  a  cross  instead  of 
honour  and  renown. 

But  there  was  another  heavy  burden  which  weighed  upon 
the  high  priests  and  scribes  besides  the  ban  and  curse  of 
conscience.  It  was  a  gloomy  solicitude  lest  the  crime  which 
they  had    jierpetrated    on    the    Nazarene    should   after   all, 


4  EASTER-EVEN. 

tliroiigh  some  new  marvel,  entail  on  them  the  brand  of  in- 
famy, and  cause  them  to  be  for  ever  pilloried  in  history. 
True  it  is,  they  did  not  verbally  express  as  much,  but  their 
tone  was  as  if  they  feared  that  some  feigned  miracle  invented 
by  the  followers  of  the  murdered  man  should  prove  prejudi- 
cial to  them.  They  recollected  perfectly  well  that  Jesus  had 
expressly  and  repeatedly  intimated  that  He  should  die  by 
murderous  hands,  but  that  on  the  third  day  He  should  rise 
again.  Hypocritically  concealing  their  real  anxiety,  they  say 
amongst  themselves,  "  What  if  the  disciples  of  the  Galilean 
should  conceive  the  purpose  of  secretly  bearing  away  the 
body  from  its  tomb,  and  then  persuade  the  people  that  their 
l^Jaster  had  come  to  life  again  ?  What  would  the  effect  of 
this  be  upon  us  ?  Every  precaution  must  be  used  to  prevent 
such  a  fraud  as  this."  And  they  all  concur  in  this  sugges- 
tion. But  in  what  mode  could  they  successfully  prevent  the 
disciples  from  following  this  course  ?  They  take  counsel  to- 
gether, and  their  practised  subtlety  in  all  the  arts  of  lying 
soon  discovered  the  means. 

I  here  observe,  in  passing,  that  several  critics  have  ques- 
tioned the  historical  truth  of  the  whole  story,  because  they 
did  not  see  how  it  could  be  possible  that  such  members  of 
the  high  council  as  a  Nicodemus,  a  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
and  a  Gamaliel,  should  ever  have  yielded  their  assent  to  so 
malignant  a  scheme  as  the  one  there  planned.  And,  indeed, 
I  myself  likewise  have  held  this  to  be  impossible.  But,  in 
the  first  place,  we  do  not  read  that  these  transactions  were 
resolved  on  in  a  regularly-convened,  full  assembly  of  the 
Sanhedrim,  but,  on  the  contrary,  everything  Avould  seem  to 
indicate  rather  a  tumultuous  meeting,  not  of  the  whole  body, 
but  of  a  part,  and  that  indeed  made  up  of  the  most  malevo- 
lent members  of  the  council.  For,  doubtless,  the  two  first 
named,  Nicodemus  and  Joseph,  would,  together  with  their 
public   formal    protest    against   the   judicial    murder,   have 


EASTEE-EVEN.  5 

solemnly  sent  in  their  resignation  as  members,  and  would 
hence  have  no  longer  been  present  at  the  deliberations,  or 
been  cognisant  of  the  subsequent  jirojects  of  their  former 
unrighteous  associates.  In  this  way  the  above-mentioned 
doubt  is  simply  and  easily  cleared  uj-),  and  it  will  be  no  less 
easily  solved  should  it  arise  again  in  reference  to  a  later 
transaction — I  allude  to  the  bribery  of  the  guard  appointed 
to  watch  the  sepulchre. 

The  chief  priests  and  elders  repair  to  the  governor.  Not- 
withstanding the  undoubtedly  early  hour,  Pilate,  who  like- 
wise had  passed  a  sleepless  night,  granted  them  at  once  the 
desired  audience.  Upon  his  inquiry  as  to  their  prayer,  they 
disclose  their  project,  and  say,  with  feigned  loyalty,  "  Sir,  we 
remember  that  that  deceiver,  of  whose  presence  we,  with 
your  approval,  have  freed  the  country,  while  he  was  yet  alive, 
expressly  declared  that  he  would,  after  three  days,  rise  again." 
Beloved,  let  us  pay  great  attention  to  this  speech  of  the  elders 
of  Israel.  Jesus,  then,  really  said  that  He  would  rise  again 
on  the  third  day.  Let  us  take  note  of  this  testimony  from 
His  enemies  and  most  bitter  opponents.  It  must  be  of 
great  importance  to  us  to  hear  it  attested  and  confirmed  as 
a  notorious  fact,  that  our  Lord  really,  and  in  the  most  un- 
equivocal manner,  announced  beforehand  the  glorious  issue  of 
His  martyrdom.  The  members  of  the  Sanhedrim  further  say 
to  Pilate,  "  Command  therefore  the  sejKilchre  be  made  sure 
until  after  the  third  day,  in  order  that  his  disciples  may  not 
come  and  steal  the  body,  and  subsequently  say  to  the  people, 
He  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  so  the  last  error  shall  be  much 
worse  than  the  first."  Now,  we  have  already  learnt  how  to 
interpret  this  language,  and  to  supply  what  is  not  expressed. 
They  require  the  guard  much  less  with  reference  to  the  dis- 
ciples, than  with  relation  to  our  Lord  himself.  Pilate  will- 
ingly grants  their  prayer,  for  to  him  the  assurance  would  be 
rather  alarminfc  that  the  man  who,  when  standino-  before 


6  EASTEE-EVEN. 

his  bar,  so  powerfully  impressed  liim,  should  have  spoken  of 
His  resurrection  with  such  precision.  "  Take  the  guard," 
says  the  governor,  (referring,  as  it  appears,  to  his  own  body- 
guard ;)  and  adds,  "  go,  make  the  grave  as  sure  as  you  can." 
And  they  did  so.  The  guard  is  taken  to  Joseph's  garden — ■ 
it  is  placed  before  the  sepulchre  of  the  Crucified  One — the 
stone  which  closes  the  tomb  is  sealed,  in  order  that  any  vio- 
lent opening  of  it  may  be  punished  as  sacrilege ;  that  is  to 
.^ay,  as  the  violation  of  a  sanctuary,  which  would  subject 
the  perpetrators  to  criminal  proceedings. 

You  will  now  understand  in  what  sense  I  characterised 
these  precautionary  measures  of  the  euemies  of  Jesus  as  an 
involuntary  preparation  by  them  for  the  celebration  of  Easter. 
In  the  midst  of  their  misgivings  and  apprehensions,  Christ 
actually  arose.  After  all  that  they  had  seen  and  experienced 
respecting  Him,  they  would  fain  have  withheld  from  them- 
selves all  conscious  acknov/ledgment  of  what  they  really 
thought  Him  to  be,  as  indeed  the  man  who  possibly  might 
suddenly  raise  Himself  alive  again  from  His  death-chamber. 
And  thus,  whilst  wearing  the  hypocritical  mask  of  resolute 
unbelief,  they,  through  the  powerful  impressions  which  His 
own  personality  had  graven  into  them,  rendered  Him  invo- 
luntary homage  as  a  hero  possibly  superior  to  the  king  of 
terrors,  to  deatli  itself.  They  unwillingly  paid  homage  to 
the  Prince  of  Life.  Let  our  preparation,  however,  for  the 
feast  be  of  a  better  character. 

n.  We  enter  Joseph's  garden,  and  are  seized  with  the 
tremor  of  a  foreboding  awe.  There  lies  the  holy  sepulchre, 
surrounded  by  the  armed  watch.  The  stone  door  is  firmly 
remented  and  sealed.  But  what  matters  this  ?  The  firmer 
the  bolts,  the  more  conspicuously  will  it  be  shewn  who  broke 
them,  and  even  here  could  make  for  Himself  a  free  passage. 
The  world  has  ofttimes  seen  the  Lord  Jesus  imprisoned  and 
immured   in  a  spiritual  sense.      Imperial   seals,  as  that  of 


EASTEE-EVEN.  7 

Julian  the  Apostate ;  philosophical  seals^  as  that  of  Spinoza, 
and  many  others  after  him;  republican  seals,  which  recall  the 
formal  abolition  of  Christianity  at  the  time  of  the  French 
Revolution  ; — these  made  the  dungeon,  in  which  it  was  fondly 
thought  Christ  was  shut  up,  to  appear  closed  for  ever,  as  if 
no  power  could  possibly  break  it  open.  But  ere  they  were 
aware,  He,  whom  they  thought  had  been  got  rid  of  for  ever, 
burst  all  the  prison-cells,  as  He  has  in  our  own  days  that  of 
Rationalism,  in  which  they  insanely  fancied  Him  entombed, 
r-i;l  He  now  stands  victor  upon  the  arena,  crowned  both  in 
the  Church  and  in  the  seats  of  learning.     Who  can  confine 

There,  in  the  dark  vault,  lies  the  body  of  the  Lord  of  hea- 
ven, soulless !  Oh,  what  depth  of  humiliation  !  But  let  us 
not  overlook  the  briglit  torches  which  God  has  placed  beside 
Him  ;  first  of  all,  in  the  prophetic  passage  of  Isaiah  liii.  9, 
"  And  he  made  his  grave  with  the  wicked,  and  with  the  rich 
in  his  death;"  and  then  that  in  the  words  of  the  royal 
Psalmist,  "  Thou,  Lord,  wilt  not  suff'er  thy  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption,"  (Ps.  xvi.  10.)  And  what  do  we  read,  with  the 
eye  of  the  spirit,  on  the  stone  which  closes  the  entrance  of 
His  sepulchre?  His  own  fingers  inscribed  it,  and  it  runs 
thus  : — "  Verily,  verily  I  say  imto  you.  Except  a  corn  of 
wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abidcth  alone ;  but  if 
it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit,"  (John  xii.  24.)  Oh,  do 
but  wait,  the  great  harvest-day  is  at  hand ! 

The  rocky  tomb  of  our  Lord  would  become  a  reef  on 
which  our  entire  faith  in  Providence  would  founder,  if  we 
regarded  Christ's  appearance  here  on  earth  as  simply  on  His 
own  account,  and  not  rather  as  the  head  and  representative 
of  humanity.  In  that  case  He  would  never,  as  expiator  of 
sin,  have  shared  the  lot  of  man  even  to  death  ;  or  we  should, 
with  Him,  have  seen  the  whole  Divine  administration  sink 
likewise,  and  even  God  himself,  as  a  Person  and  the  righteous 


8  EASTER-EVEN. 

Ruler  together,  annihilated  and  entombed  for  ever  !  But  as 
His  tomb  now  gives  irresistible  testimony  to  His  mediatorial 
position,  so  it  transforms  the  tombs  of  His  people  into  sta- 
tions whence  they  make  their  transition  to  new  and  more 
blissful  spheres  of  life.  For  the  path  taken  by  the  Head  is 
necessarily  that  followed  by  the  members ;  and  that  which 
the  first  Adam  bi^ai^ht  down  to  the  dust  with  himself,  the 
second  restores  in  clis  own  person  out  of  the  ruins.  It  is  true 
that  our  flesh,  corrupted  by  sin,  is  not  saved  from  the  trans- 
muting process  of  decay.  The  Almighty  has  uttered  His 
sentence  with  reference  to  us,  ''  Dust  thou  art,  and  to  dust 
shalt  thou  return.'"'  But  no  less  authoritative  than  the  pre- 
ceding is  the  following  one,  "  It  is  sown  in  corruption ;  it 
U  raised  in  incorruption."  An  atom,  though  invisible  to 
mortal  eye,  is  preserved  by  the  Almighty  as  the  germinal 
frame  of  our  undying  body,  on  which  at  some  future  day  the 
Divine  agency  will  be  made  manifest,  by  which  He,  as  the 
Scriptures  declare,  "makes  all  things  subject  unto  Himself" 
The  stone-vault  before  which  we  stand  contains  only  the 
body  of  our  Lord.  Where  is  His  spirit?  We  have  heard 
Him  give  the  dying  thief  the  solemn  assurance,  "  To-day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise.''  In  1  Pet.  iii.  19,  20; 
the  apostle  testifies  that  "after  Christ  had  been  put  to 
death  in  the  flesh," — that  is  to  say,  in  His  humanity, — He 
was  "  quickened  in  the  Spirit,"  and  raised  to  a  higher,  less- 
restricted,  and  freer  sphere,  and  that  "  in  this  Spirit  also 
He  ivent  and  2^reached  unto  the  spirits  in  pi^ison,  ivho  some- 
time luere  disobedient,  when  once  the  iGng-suffering  of  God 
waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  teas  preparing" 
In  the  Apostles'  Creed  we  find  the  passage,  "  He  descended 
into  hell,"  following  the  word  "  buried."  This  latter  testi- 
mony manifestly  refers  to  the  above  quotation  from  Peter ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  it  is  based  upon  it.  Therefore  the 
expression,   "  hell"   is  liere  used  as  synonymous  with   the 


EASTER-EVEN.  9 

word  *' prison."  But  it  is  impossible  that  the  latter  can  be 
identical  with  the  "  paradise  "  which  is  spoken  of  in  2  Cor. 
xii.  2-4,  as  being  one  and  the  same  with  "the  third  heaven.'' 
And  again,  paradise,  though  a  sphere  of  bliss,  appears  to  be 
different  from  that  higliest  heaven  where  God  is  seen  face 
to  face,  and  which  our  Lord  had  in  His  eye  when  in  His 
later  testimony  He  says,  *'  /  have  not  yet  ascended  to  my 
Father;''  it  is  subordinate,  or  at  least  secondary,  to  this ; 
and  we  must  therefore  conceive  of  a  heavenly  vestibule  where 
the  redeemed  had  to  wait  the  real  ascension  into  heaven,  the 
bodily  one,  of  their  glorified  Mediator,  in  order  to  enter  with 
Him  the  open  gates  of  the  city  of  God,  and  to  attain  the  full 
possession  of  their  eternal  inheritance.  To  this  antechamber 
Christ  in  spirit,  while  His  body  remained  in  the  tomb,  led 
the  penitent  thief,  and  then  presented  Himself  to  preach  to 
the  spirits  in  prison.  We  are  left  utterly  without  intimation 
where  this  latter  place  is  situated ;  but  still  it  is  not  to  be 
confounded  with  the  abode  of  the  damned.  The  great  re- 
former, Calvin,  thought  he  could  avoid  the  descent  into  hell 
altogether,  whilst  he  explained  the  passage  in  Peter  thus  : — 
Christ  had  exhorted  Noah's  contemporaries  to  repent,  whilst 
they  luere  yet  in  the  flesh,  through  the  Holy  Ghost  by  Him 
imparted  to  Noah,  the  preacher  of  righteousness.  This  ex- 
position, however,  is  too  artificial  to  commend  itself  to  an 
impartial  mind.  It  is  invalidated  at  once  by  the  expression, 
"  He  descended,"  which  cannot  well  betoken  anything  other 
than  local  motion,  as  it  does  afterwards  in  the  22d  verse  of 
the  chapter  alluded  to.  We  have  no  intimation  of  the  topics 
upon  which  He  preached  to  the  "  spirits  in  prison,"  whether 
repentance,  or  His  own  triumph.  But  it  may,  however,  well 
be  presumed  that  amongst  the  souls  that  were  hurried  away 
by  the  flood,  there  were  not  a  few  who,  if  not  converted,  were 
nevertheless  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  Wcis  the 
way  to  full  regeneration  now  opened  up  to  them  ?     This  is 


1 0  EASTEE-EVEN. 

conceivable.  But  under  any  circumstances,  that  descent  of 
Christ  in  spirit  was  not  associated  with  His  state  of  humilia- 
tion, but  already  formed  the  transition  to  His  state  of  exalta- 
tion :  still  less  is  it  to  be  viewed  as  a  complement  of  His 
mediatorial  and  propitiatory  work,  for  this  had  seen  its  full 
accomplishment  just  prior  to  the  moment  when,  commending 
His  spirit  into  His  Father's  hands,  He  victoriously  exclaimed, 
''It  is  finished.'"  But  we  should  grasj^  at  more  than  would 
become  us,  were  we,  from  a  fact  of  which  Peter  gives  so  mys- 
terious an  intimation,  to  deduce  consequences  which  might 
to  some  extent  paralyse  the  zeal  with  which  we  ought  to 
strive,  on  this  side  eternity,  to  make  preparation  for  heaven. 
A  subject  of  consolation  for  the  heathen  to  whom  God's 
Word  has  never  come  on  earth,  may  be  drawn  from  this 
consideration,  but  certainly  none  for  us  who -have  the  gospel. 
Thus  we  have  not  to  seek  the  Lord  himself  in  His  tomb, 
but  only  His  human  frame,  His  earthly  pilgrim's-garment. 
He  is  traversing  in  the  spirit  other  regions.  Is  His  resur- 
rection, therefore,  nothing  more  than  the  reunion  of  the  Son 
of  God  with  His  entombed  body  ?  Yes,  it  is  so,  only  He 
reassumes  this  body  in  a  glorified  condition.  It  is  true  that 
it  irf  difficult,  nay  impossible,  for  our  short-sighted  faculties 
to  realise  this  representation.  The  bodily  organisation  de- 
stroyed by  crucifixion  must  first  be  reinstated  by  creative 
power,  and,  beside  this,  be  spiritualised  as  the  organ  of  the 
God-man,  who  was  now  disconnected  from  the  sublunary 
sphere  of  life.  Indeed,  this  actually  was  accomplished,  but 
the  mode  in  which  it  was  so  remains  an  unsolved  problem. 
I  might  here  adduce  something  similar  and  analogous  to  the 
reunion  of  the  spirit  with  the  body  previously  deserted  by 
Him.  The  condition  of  the  clairvoyant,  in  whom  all  the 
bodily  functions  are  suspended,  as  in  death,  whilst  the  mind 
for  a  season  wanders  as  spectator  and  observer  through  dis- 
tant scenes,  and  then  returns  in  one  moment  to  its  deserted 


EASTEE-EVEN.  1  \ 

body,  might  be  adduced  as  one  analogous  to,  and  corre- 
sponding with,  the  reunion  of  His  spirit  with  His  previously 
deserted  body.  But  let  us  be  careful,  lest  we  confound  the 
natural  and  the  supernatural  with  one  another.  The  sub- 
ject in  question  being  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  we  are  in 
the  province  of  miracles;  and  precisely  as  Scripture  teaches 
that  it  is  only  "  by  faith  that  we  understand  the  worlds  were 
made  by  the  word  of  God,^'  so  the  miracle  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  our  Lord,  in  all  its  parts,  is  given  only  to  our  faith. 

The  great  day,  however— the  greatest  which  the  world 
has  seen— knocks  at  the  stone  door  of  the  holy  sepulchre. 
Now  let  us  for  a  short  time  ponder  over  the  Almicrhty's 
plan  of  redemption,  as  revealed  by  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
in  its  connexion.  From  so  elevated  a  point  of  view  the 
resurrection  of  the  Mediator  will  appear  to  us  a  necessity, 
imposing  silence  on  all  our  doubts.  After  this  day's  pre- 
paration, we  shall  with  childlike  simplicity,  and  with  unem- 
barrassed, joyous  hope,  prepare  ourselves  for  that  immea- 
surably happier  one  which  awaits  us,  and  shall  say  with  the 
Moravian  poet : — 

"  Jesus,  of  all  life  the  Lord, 
Shall  He  in  death  decay  ? 
Jesus,  the  Holy  One  of  God, 
Shall  He  corruption  see  ? 
Morning's  fragrance ! 
Easter  breeze  ! 
E'en  now  I  feel  Thy  gentle  motiou. 
^d  w  !i  rise  again  !     Amen." 


12  THE  MIEACLE  OF  EASTEfi, 


IL 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER 

"  Easter  is  God's  Amen  and  the  Hallelujah  of  hiimamty." 
It  is  scarcely  possible  that  the  lofty  significance  of  the  glo- 
rious event  to  the  close  consideration  of  which  we  this  day 
draw  near,  can  be  more  strikingly  indicated  than  by  this 
well-known  expression.*  This  truth  is  sown  broadcast 
throughout  Scripture,  and  especially  in  the  utterance  of  the 
apostle  Peter,  (Acts  v.  30,  31,)  where  it  is  clearly  attested, 
— ''  This  Jesus,  luhom  ye  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree.  Him 
hath  God  exalted  luith  his  right  hand  to  he  a  Prince  and 
a  Saviour,"  —  that  is  to  say,  has  publicly  accredited  and 
crowned  Him  as  such.  By  the  miracle  of  Easter  the 
Almighty  stamped  an  imperishable  seal — one  the  splendour 
of  which  shone  throughout  the  universe — upon  the  dignity, 
words,  and  work  of  His  only-begotten  Son,  and  uttered 
His  "  Yea  "  and  "  Amen,"  confirmatory  of  the  testimony  of 
the  Son  that  He  was  "the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,"  and 
of  His  triumphant  exclamation,  "It  is  finished!"  intelligibly 
to  heaven,  earth,  and  hell.  Humanity  finds  that  it  has 
attained  the  object  of  its  boldest  expectations  and  longings. 
Infinitely  more  has  been  prepared  for  it,  and  secured  to  it, 
than  it  ever  dared  to  hope.  After  its  eternal  redemption 
had  been  accomplished,  it  was  then  actually  declared,  by  the 
authority  of  the  Most  High,  to  be  perfected.     There  thence- 

*  From  the  late  Bishop  Draesecke,  of  Magdeburg, 


THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER.  13 

forth  remained  to  the  highly-favoured  race  of  man  nothing 
further  than  a  never-ending  hallelujah — "Now  unto  Him 
that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we 
ask  or  think !" 

In  these  few  words  we  see  hastily  sketched  those  truths 
which  will  constitute  for  a  season  the  green  pastures  in 
which  the  Good  Shepherd  will  feed  our  souls.  Isaiah  pre- 
dicted that  "  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  should  come  up  to 
Zion  with  songs."  This  prediction  is  fulfilled  since  the 
announcement,  "  The  Lord  is  risen/'  has  resounded  through- 
out the  world.  "  He  is  really  risen  ! "  May  it  find  a  full 
echo  in  our  hearts ! 

Matt,  xxviii.  1-4, 11-15. 

"  In  the  end  of  the  Sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepulchre. 
And,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake  :  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door, 
and  sat  upon  it.  His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment 
white  as  snow  :  and  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became  aa 
dead  men."  ..."  Now,  when  they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the  watch 
came  into  the  city,  and  shewed  unto  the  chief  priests  all  the  things  that 
were  done.  And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken 
counsel,  they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers,  saying,  Say  ye.  His  dis- 
ciples came  by  night,  and  stole  him  away  while  we  slept.  And  if  this  come 
to  the  governor's  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So  they  took 
the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught :  and  this  saying  is  commonly 
reported  among  the  Jews  until  this  day." 

"  Shine,  oh  shine,  thou  Easter  sun, 

Deep  into  my  heart ; 
Dissipate  the  heavy  shades 

Of  its  care  and  smart ! 
Shine  with  ray  of  j  ui'est  light, 

Flashing  death's  dark  vale  upon ; 
Brightly  gild  my  soul's  dark  night — 

Easter  sun,  shine  on  !  shine  on  !" 

This,  beloved,  is  the  key-note  of  the  feelings  with  which  I 
hail  the  great  event,  and  whicli  are  called  forth  by  the  Gospel 


1 4  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER. 

just  read.  How  few  and  how  simple  are  the  words  in  which 
it  is  conveyed  to  us.  But  they  remind  us  of  a  fresco  by  a 
great  artist,  when,  by  a  few  bold  and  rapid  strokes,  to  our 
astonishment  we  perceive  the  creation  of  an  entire  and  ani- 
mated painting.  Yet  no  human  art  can  compete  with  the 
divine  truthfulness  of  colouring  which  here  strikes  the  eye. 
We  at  once  see  that  we  stand  on  the  sure  basis  of  historical 
fact  Let  us,  with  thoughtful  spirits,  approach  still  nearer 
to  the  most  exalted  and  consolatory  fact  in  the  world's  his- 
tory, and  consider  the  miracle,  first,  in  its  historical  details; 
secondly,  as  to  its  j^erfect  credibility;  and  lastly,  as  to  its 
high  and  glorious  imjwrt 

As  a  blessing  upon  our  meditations,  may  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist  be  fulfilled  in  us — "  The  voice  of  rejoicing  and  sal- 
vation is  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous  :  the  right  hand 
of  the  Lord  doeth  valiantly,  the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  is 
exalted ;  the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  doeth  valiantly !"  (Ps. 
cxviii.  15, 16.) 

I.  A  beautiful  Sunday  morniug  here  dawns,  and  scatters 
its  pearls  of  dew  on  the  springtide  flowers.  The  world  still 
lies  in  deep  slumbers,  never  dreaming  what  a  sun  is  about  to 
rise  upon  the  horizon  of  its  life.  But  our  Lord's  disciples 
and  friends  have  not  closed  their  eyes  throughout  the  night ; 
they  have  passed  it  in  weeping  and  lamentation,  and  partly 
in  preparing  to  discharge  the  most  painful  service  of  love 
on  their  return  to  the  garden,  which  they  had  left  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Sabbath.  In  spirit  we  anticipate  their 
arrival.  A  profound  solemn  stillness  reigns  all  around, 
broken  only  by  the  tread  of  the  guards  as  they  pace  back- 
wards and  forwards  before  the  tomb  of  the  crucified  Prince 
of  Peace.  The  second  night  since  Good  Friday  has  passed 
without  any  disturbance  ,  apparently  there  is  as  little  prob- 
ability of  a  resurrection  of  the  deceased  as  tliere  is  of  an  attack 
by  the  adherents  and  friends  of  the  Crucified  One.      The 


THE  jMIRACLE  of  EASTER.  15 

.irrave  lies  mute  and  closed  before  us ;  its  seal  remains  un- 
broken. It  would  seem  tliafc  the  reign  of  the  pretended  new 
King  of  Zion  was  gone  by  for  ever.  But  what  now !  On 
a  sudden  the  earth  begins  to  tremble — the  rocks  are  rent 
asunder  all  around  with  fearful  crash — sujjerhuman  forms, 
bright  as  lightning,  and  in  garments  white  as  snow,  glide 
down  from  the  heights  of  heaven  to  the  garden.  They  are 
holy  angels,  like  those  who  appeared  at  our  Lord's  nativity, 
and  who  came  to  minister  to  Him  after  His  victory  over  the 
tempter  in  the  desert.  One  of  these  gracious  messengers 
approaches  the  tomb,  touches  the  mass  of  rock  which  held 
it  closed,  and  in  a  moment  the  seals  are  burst,  the  ponderous 
stone  is  rolled  away,  and  from  the  opened  portal  of  the  grave 
there  steps  forth,  radiant  with  heavenly  glory,  He  who  was 
dead  ! — and,  behold,  "  He  lives,  and  bears  the  keys  both  of 
hell  and  of  death  ! "  The  guards,  indeed,  scarcely  discern  the 
Eisen  One.  The  dazzling  robe  of  light  which  He  wears  hides 
Him  from  their  bewildered  sight.  The  only  object  they  dis- 
tinctly see  is  the  seraph-form  sitting  in  triumph  on  the 
rolled-away  stone,  as  if  it  were  a  throne  of  state ;  and  then, 
with  inexpressible  consternation,  trembling  in  every  limb, 
they  start  up  end  hasten  away  to  report  to  their  superiors  in 
Jerusalem  the  unheard-of  prodigy  that  had  occurred.  Into 
what  excitement  the  whole  city  would  have  been  thrown  by 
their  report,  had  not  the  noiseless  calm  of  early  dawn  rested 
on  its  deserted  streets  !  They  only  knock  at  the  doors  of  the 
rulers,  and  we  shall  soon  learn  what  was  devised  in  that  con- 
clave to  stifle  the  strange  report  in  its  birth.  But  the  new 
life  of  the  Risen  One  was  mightier  than  all  the  craft  and 
malignity  of  His  adversaries,  and  escaped,  as  before  from  the 
grave,  so  now  from  the  hold  of  falsehood  within  which  they 
would  fain  have  once  more  confined  it.  Though  they  con- 
trived by  the  meanest  expedient  to  stop  the  mouths  of  the 
living  reporters,  yet  the  dead  arosp  as  witnesses  to  the  Easter 


16  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTEE. 

miracle.  Many  of  the  pious  dead,  tlirouf2;h  whose  bodies  a 
flash  of  returning  life  had  thrilled  at  the  moment  when  the 
powerful  Victor's  cry,  "  It  is  finished  !"  resounded  from  the 
cross,  came  forth  from  their  graves  with  the  Prince  of  Life, 
awakened  by  His  death- subduing  power,  "  and  went  into  the 
holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many,"  (Matt,  xxvii.  53.) 

What  do  we  say  to  this  great  and  unique  event  ?  It  must 
be  understood  that  we  employ  here  a  different  standard  from 
that  of  our  limited  every-clay  experience,  a  higher  one  that 
stands  above  the  earthly  order  of  nature.  We  find  ourselves 
in  the  domain  of  miracles.  That  which  is  here  presented  to 
our  field  of  vision  comes  direct  from  the  power  and  majesty 
of  the  Most  High.  From  the  earthquake,  the  rending  of 
rocks,  and  the  visit  of  angels,  down  to  the  appointed  place 
in  which,  as  the  evangelist  John  reminds  us,  (John  xxviii.  7,) 
the  napkin  and  the  linen  clothes  were  seen,  neatly  wrapped 
together,  in  the  empty  tomb — all  are  the  immediate  working 
of  the  omnipotence  of  the  personal  and  living  God,  whose 
pleasure  it  was  that  through  these  tokens  His  only-begotten 
Son  should,  after  He  had  endured  the  ignominy  of  the  cross, 
be  honoured  and  glorified  before  the  whole  world.  The 
greatest  of  all  wonders,  however,  is  the  Risen  One  himself. 
Who  can  comprehend  the  change  which  suddenly  had  passed 
upon  Him  ?  Who  can  fathom  the  mystery  of  His  glorified 
nature,  of  His  new  being?  There  He  stands  before  us 
reunited  to  the  body  which,  two  days  previously,  He  had 
left  on  the  cross  inanimate.  It  is  the  same  body  which  we 
saw  bleeding  on  the  tree,  and  yet  no  longer  the  same.  A 
spiritual  change  has  likewise  taken  place  in  Him,  of  which 
His  subsequent  appearances  do  not  permit  us  for  one  moment 
to  doubt.  Where  He  presents  Himself,  He  does  so  as  the 
result  of  a  definite  voHtion.  Without  this,  His  new  nature 
would  have  been  veiled  to  mortal  eyes.  After  He  had 
assumed  a  i^lorioiis  body.  He  ate  and  drank,  but  He  did  not 


THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTEE.  17 

lo  SO  from  necessity,  but,  doubtless,  in  the  same  mysterious 
manner  in  which  we  saw  Him,  under  the  well-known  title 
of  "the  Angel  of  the  Lord,"  together  with  His  attendant 
angels,  eat  in  the  grove  at  Mamre,  when  the  Lord  a^^peared 
to  Abraham.  Let  no  one  now  ask  where  the  Risen  One 
obtained  the  mantle  with  which  He  appeared  invested  at 
His  exit  from  the  tomb.  This  question  remains  an  open 
one  for  our  shortsighted  understandings,  like  that  of  the 
snow-white  garments  of  the  angels.  Hardly  were  they  the 
product  of  a  loom  worked  by  man.  Nor  let  us  inquire  where 
the  Lord  afterwards  tarried  when  He  did  not  manifest  Him- 
self to  His  disciples.  We  must  ever  remember  that,  after 
His  resurrection,  He  had  entered  into  the  spliere  of  a  higher 
nature,  and,  indeed,  such  an  one  that  the  earthly  has  nothing 
corresponding  to  place  beside  it.  Moreover,  the  other  mat- 
ters connected  with  the  Easter  marvel,  which,  to  our  veiled 
eyes,  appear  enigmatical,  will  not  embarrass  or  disturb  us 
in  the  least,  from  the  moment  we  hold  the  miracle  itself  to 
be,  beyond  all  contradiction,  a  grand  historical  fact.  That 
it  is  such  a  fact  does  not  admit  of  one  moment's  doubt  when 
viewed  apart  from  all  prejudice.  We  wish  to  convince  all 
honest  seekers  for  truth  in  the  crowd  of  doubters  around'  us. 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  really  risen  from  the  dead :  but  what 
eft'ect  do  our  arguments  produce  upon  you  ?  Calmly  follow 
us  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject  which  we  are  prepared 
to  enter  upon  with  you,  in  order  to  elicit  the  truth,  and  then 
say  what  historical  event  was  ever  confirmed  with  more 
striking  proofs  than  that  of  Christ's  resurrection. 

II.  At  Jerusalem,  we  find  the  high  priests  and  elders 
already  assembled  before  the  first  cock-crowing.  The  tidings 
brought  by  the  watch  have  roused  these  terrified  rulers  from 
their  beds  like  an  alarm-trumpet.  It  is  true  they  are  not 
all  assembled ;  Nicodemus,  Joseph  of  Arimathca,  and  pos- 
sibly some  others  like-minded,  are  absent.     What  measures 

B 


]  8  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER. 

must  be  employed  now  ?  If  the  rumour  of  what  happened 
to  the  watch  be  spread,  the  last  error  will  be  worse  than  the 
first,  and  the  Galilean  has  triumphed  even  after  death. 
Good  advice  is  not  at  hand,  and,  in  its  stead,  they  adopt  an 
expedient  every  way  bad.  As  at  the  private  audience  on 
the  Friday  morning  they  meanly  practised  bribery,  so  now 
they  employ  the  same  means.  The  members  of  the  council 
engage  themselves  to  pay  large  sums  of  money  to  the  guards 
upon  their  solemn  promise  to  spread  the  report  among  the 
people,  that  during  the  night,  and  whilst  they,  the  guards, 
were  asleep,  the  disciples  of  the  Nazarene  came  and  stole 
away  the  body  of  their  Master.  But  what  if  it  should  come 
to  pass  that  the  Dead  should  actually  present  Himself  among 
the  people?  Well,  even  then,  there  remained  this  evasion, 
that  He  was  only  apparently  dead  when  laid  in  the  sepulchre, 
and  that,  by  the  employment  of  secret  but  effective  means. 
He  had  been  recalled  to  life.  But  what  if  the  governor  be 
informed  of  the  bribery  practised?  The  members  of  the 
council  took  upon  themselves  the  responsibility  of  pacifying 
him  on  this  head,  and,  moreover,  engaged  so  to  manage 
matters,  that  the  guards  should  incur  no  punishment  for 
their  dastardly  fliglit  from  the  grave.  Upon  this,  the  guards 
took  the  wages  of  iniquity,  and  did  as  had  been  suggested 
to  them.  Since  the  Eisen  One  did  not  again  shew  Himself 
to  the  people,  the  story  of  the  robbery  of  the  tomb  was,  as 
the  evangelist  says,  "  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews," 
and,  indeed,  Matthew  adds,  "until  this  day."  We,  however, 
may  apply  this  expression  to  the  present  age,  for  not  only 
do  Jews,  but  with  them  there  are  likewise  thousands  of 
nominal  Christians,  who  still  concur  in  making  the  same 
"  common  report."  Bur  the  thought  that  Christ  is  actually 
risen  from  the  dead  is  indeed  so  great,  and  attended  with 
such  exceedingly  happy  results,  that  we  incur  danger,  as  did 
the  apostles  of  old,  in  not  believing  "for  joy."    Nevertheless, 


THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER.  19 

it  is  impossible  to  deny  tlie  event  of  Easter-tide,  witliout  at 
the  same  time  flying  in  the  face  of  all  history;  without 
accoutring  one's-self  in  triple  brass,  to  repel  the  most  cogent 
})roofs ;  without  entirely  renouncing  all  sound  understand- 
ing ;  and  without  stifling  and  annihilating  in  oneVself  the 
last  sparks  of  susceptibility  for  historical  truth.  If  it  be 
certain  that  there  ever  lived  a  Eoman  emperor  who  bore  the 
name  of  Augustus, — or  that  a  people  existed  called  the  Jews, 
who,  after  th.ey  had  crucified  Christ,  were  scattered  as  chaff 
to  the  four  winds  of  heaven, — or  that,  once  upon  a  time,  the 
Dagon  of  the  Philistines  fell  before  the  ark  of  the  covenant, — 
or  that  the  gods  of  Greece  and  Rome  were  hurled  from  their 
altars  before  the  gospel  of  the  publicans,  the  fishermen,  and 
the  tentmakers, — we  have  still  more  conclusive  evidence  i>f 
that  fact  which,  raised  as  it  is  immeasurably  higher,  abo\e 
and  beyond  all  doubt,  the  whole  Church  on  earth  is  wont  to 
celebrate  at  Easter  with  sound  of  trumpets  and  son^i- — t^.e 
mircicle  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus. 

Eirst  of  all,  survey  with  me  the  far-reaching  chain  of 
unequivocal  predictions  which,  link  within  link,  stretches 
through  the  four  thousand  years  prior  to  the  appearance  of 
Christ.  Or,  will  you  dare  deny  that  the  ancient  patriar^^h^ 
of  the  human  race,  together  with  the  entire  Jewish  nation, 
from  their  origin,  placed  their  hopes  on  a  Messiah  who 
would  bring  salvation,  peace,  and  redemption  to  them,  and 
to  the  whole  human  race?  Indeed,  were  you  to  do  so,  every 
Jew  would  enter  the  lists  against  you,  and  would  reproach 
you  as  both  blind  and  stupid.  Open  the  sacred  records  of 
that  people,  and  fix  your  eye  upon  the  sublime  form  of  the 
Saviour  which  will  present  itself  to  you  in  almost  every 
pas(e.  Learn  in  those  sacred  writings  how,  when,  and  where 
"  He  who  should  come  "  was  to  appear.  Beliold  Him  in  the 
representations  of  prophecy,  as  if  He  were  already  incarnate, 
walking-,   act'U'^,   c^oinr;   si'^ps   a'lc^    A^'jrd-^r;.     J^>ehold  Him, 


20  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTEE. 

further,  in  that  mirror,  rejected  by  His  own  people,  num- 
bered among  the  transgressors,  suffer,  bleed,  and  die,  and 
hear  the  propliet's  explanation  of  it — "  for  our  transgressions, 
for  our  iniquities."  Observe,  further,  how  in  the  great  pro- 
phetic vision,  after  He  has  given  up  His  life  as  a  sacrifice, 
has  been  "  taken  from  judgment,"  released  from  death,  He  is 
at  length  crowned  with  honour  and  glory,  and  raised  to  be 
the  foundation  and  corner-stone  of  a  new  kingdom — the 
kingdom  of  grace ;  how  He  then  "  should  prolong  His 
days,"  and  how  "  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  should  prosper 
in  His  hands/'  Then  take  up  the  New  Testament,  and  read 
first  the  four  Gospels.  What  do  you  discover  there?  A 
man  is  born  into  the  world  at  the  precise  time,  at  the  fixed 
spot,  and  of  the  very  family  in  v.'hich,  according  to  prophecy, 
the  ^Messiah  should  be  born.  This  man,  who  thus  appeared 
publicly,  declares  Himself  to  be  "  He  of  whom  Moses  and 
the  prophets  s^^ake/'  He  accomplishes  all  the  works  and 
wonders  of  the  prophetic  type.  He  corresponds  in  every 
feature  with  the  Messiaii  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  becomes 
the  Lamb  that  bears  the  sin  of  the  world.  He  says  that 
He  is  fore- ordained  to  suffer  and  to  die ;  that  He  shall  not, 
however,  remain  in  death,  but  shall  rise  again  on  the  third 
day  :  and  He  suffers,  sheds  His  blood,  and  dies,  and — "  does 
not  rise  again ! "  That  were  inconceivable,  more  so  even 
than  if  the  trunk  of  a  sound  tree,  whicli  is  in  the  course  of 
progressive  development,  should  suddenly  be  arrested  in  its 
growth,  and  remain  a  stunted  stem,  without  any  head-growth 
or  crown  at  all.  The  connexion  of  the  prophecy  and  its 
fulfilment,  as  well  as  the  gradually  progressive  course  of  the 
consecrated,  sinless  life  of  the  incomjDarable  personage  of 
whom  we  speak,  demanded  a  resurrection  from  the  dead  as 
an  absolute  necessity.  If  this  had  not  followed,  the  life  of 
Christ  would  Lave  been  the  most  insoluble  riddle  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  world.    It  would  have  been  like  a  build- 


THE  MIEACLE  OF  EASTEE.  21 

ing  framed  in  all  its  jDarts  most  carefully  and  perfectly,  but 
in  which  the  key-stone  had  been  most  unaccountably  omit- 
ted; or  like  a  painting,  executed  with  marvellous  ability, 
but  from  which,  however,  the  hand  of  the  artist  was  re- 
moved, just  before  its  completion,  by  the  Lord  God  himself, 
leaving  us  in  astonishment  at  the  mystery  of  His  providence. 
If  Scripture  did  not  aver  anything  concerning  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus,  the  assertion  that  part  of  the  gospel  must 
have  been  lost  would  be  j^erfectly  reasonable  and  warranted. 
The  resurrection  of  Christ  thus  presents  itself  as  the  indis- 
putable sequence  of  His  existence  and  life  up  to  the  time  of 
His  death. 

But  let  it  be  supposed  He  did  not  rise  again,  wdiere  could 
the  Dead  One  have  remained?  Search  through  the  whole 
wide  world,  and  you  will  discover  no  place  which  could  have 
concealed  Him.  YV^as  He  in  the  custody  of  the  Jews  ?  Im- 
possible !  Would  they  not  subsequently,  and  especially  at 
the  splendid  triumph  of  the  gospel  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
ha\c  brought  forth  the  Dead  from  His  hiding-place,  and,  by 
t]-.o  simple  exhibition  of  His  body,  have  achieved  with  one 
blow  the  downfall  of  this  hated  Christianity.  Was  his  body 
deposited  by  His  disciples  in  some  remote  and  secret  sepul- 
chre ?  The  Jews  allege  this  even  to  the  present  hour,  cer- 
tainly in  a  very  dubious  manner,  feeling,  as  they  must,  that 
no  one  will  believe  that  the  disciples  would  have  been  able 
to  kindle  within  themselves  enthusiasm  sufficient  to  cause 
them  to  stake  not  only  property,  fame,  and  honour,  but  even 
dear  life  itself,  for  one  by  whom  they  had  been  most  wickedly 
deluded  and  deceived  in  those  blessed  hopes  which  He  him- 
self had  awakened  in  them.  There  remains  therefore  to 
unbelief,  in  the  tliird  place,  only  this  supposition,  that  Christ, 
after  He  had  distinctly  foretold  that  He  should  die,  and 
after  three  days  rise  again,  wlien  taken  from  the  cross  was 
not  really  dead,  but  only  in  a  deep  trance,  from  which  He 


22  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTER. 

awoke  exactly  on  the  third  day  purely  by  accident.  But  no 
one  can  put  forward  such  an  opinion  without  rendering  him- 
self liable  to  be  considered  as  one  who  merely,  to  evade  the 
pressure  of  the  fact,  does  not  consider  the  most  absurd  sup- 
position too  irrational  as  a  last  resource  against  his  con- 
science and  better  knowledae.  In  order  not  to  be  oblio-ed  to 
surrender  the  citadel  of  his  unbelief,  such  a  man  blows  him- 
self up  together  with  his  reason  and  his  logic  !  Not  to  say 
that  it  would  have  been  wonderfully  like  a  miracle  if  the 
Lord  had  awoke  from  His  rigid  trance  exactly  on  the  third 
day,  the  one  which  He  had  appointed  for  His  return  to  life ; 
the  Ee-a-Aakened  One  would  soon  have  had  to  go  the  way  of 
all  flesh,  that  is  to  say,  must  have  died :  and  where  could 
He  have  expired  so  secretly  and  obscurely,  that  neither 
friend  nor  enemy,  Jew  nor  Christian,  should  have  discovered 
anything  about  His  death  ?  Perhaps  He  plunged  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  or  repaired  to  some  remote  uninhabited 
island.  You  see  into  what  contradictions,  what  absurdities, 
that  man  falls  who  refuses  to  believe  the  miracle  of  the 
resurrection.  Sound  reason  does  not  deny  this  miracle  ;  but, 
at  its  cost,  and  in  opposition  to  it,  a  perverse  will  does, 
refusing  to  do  homage  to  Clirist,  and  to  submit  to  His 
sceptre. 

The  day  of  Pentecost  is  an  historical  fact.  This  is  beyond 
all  question.  Believe  the  baptism  of  fire  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  be  what  you  will,  it  is  certain  that  the  disciples  of  Christ 
at  Pentecost  received  such  a  baptism,  and  that  then  and 
there,  by  the  organising  of  the  congregation  at  Jerusalem, 
the  Cliristian  Church  on  earth  was  founded.  This  fact  no 
one  will  controvert.  It  was  Christ,  however,  who  foretold 
this  day  of  Pentecost  in  the  most  definite  manner,  and  added 
to  this  prophecy  the  important  assertion,  that,  by  the  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit,  He  should  give  the  first  visible 
sign  of  His  elevation  to  the  riorht  hand  of  the  Father.     This 


THE  I\riEACLE  OF  EASTER.  ,  23 

sign,  therefore,  followed.  And  in  the  presence  of  such  world- 
wide manifestations  of  life  by  the  Prince  of  Peace,  as  well  as 
of  unheard-of  miraculous  operations,  by  means  of  wliich  He, 
in  so  short  a  time,  by  a  handful  of  poor  Galileans,  drew  tlie 
whole  Eoman  Empire  to  His  banner,  called  into  existence  a 
new  spiritual  world,  in  the  ordinances,  customs,  views,  and 
ideas  of  which  we  all  now  live,  will  any  one  still  doubt 
whether  this  Christ  be  risen  from  the  dead  ?  Why  should 
you  not,  then,  at  once  doubt  all  history,  in  which — I  boldly 
afhrm  it — hardly  anything  recorded  is  so  fully  confirmed 
and  verified  as  the  fact,  the  memorial  of  whicli  we  celebrate 
at  Easter.  The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  was  written 
by  Paul,  the  contemporary  of  Christ  and  of  all  the  other 
apostles.  This  is  beyond  all  contradiction.  Even  our  most 
unbelieving  critics  do  not  dare  seriously  to  call  it  in  question. 
But  what  do  we  read  in  this  epistle  ?  Loudly  and  openly 
before  all  the  world  the  apostle  here  testifies,  (chap.  xv.  6,) 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  after  His  resurrection,  "was 
seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once ;  of  whom  the 
greater  part  remain  unto  this  prese];it,  but  some  are  fallen 
asleep."  Any  one  zealous  for  the  truth,  who  then  doubted, 
might  have  arrived  at  certainty  in  the  shortest  and  surest 
way.  But  the  reality  of  the  resurrection  was  seriously  called 
in  question  by  scarcely  any  one  in  the  earliest  centuries  of 
the  Christian  epoch.  On  the  contrary,  the  lapse  of  time 
served  but  to  increase  the  number  of  the  adherents  to  the 
Divine  Prince  of  Life.  And  will  you  still  doubt?  Why 
then?  Because  death  is  death,  and  nobody  ever  returned 
from  the  grave.  So,  indeed,  you  are  taught  by  the  history 
of  natural  science,  and  hence  the  common  saying  of  unbe- 
lievers, that  the  latter  will  in  time  entirely  unhinge  and  dis- 
place Christianity.  But  whence  do  you  derive  authority  to 
impose  a  limit  upon  the  development  of  creative  j^owers  by 
tho  Author  of  nature,  saying,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  and 


24i  THE  MIEACLE  OF  EASTER. 

no  further,"  and  to  regard  those  laws  by  which  nature  is 
now  sustained  as  fetters  by  which  the  Creator's  hands  are 
bound  ?  Poor  jDurblind  mortals  !  Because  in  the  present 
day  no  sinful  child  of  Adam  rises  from  the  dead,  do  you 
conclude  that  the  Son  of  God,  the  Sinless  One,  could  not 
vanquish  that  death  which  He  incurred  on  our  account  ?  A 
more  foolish  conclusion  than  this  I  cannot  conceive.  Away 
with  it !  You  wilfully  blind  your  eyes  that  you  may  not 
see,  because  you  feel  that,  to  be  consistent,  you  must  accept 
not  only  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  but  many  other  things 
likewise ;  that  you  must  not  only  give  up  and  renounce 
much,  but  must  give  to  your  whole  life  another,  a  higher, 
and  a  more  spiritual  direction. 

III.  And  that  you  doubtless  must.  For  if  Christ  rose 
ngain  from  the  dead  on  the  third  day,  He  is  your  divinely-" 
accredited  King  and  Lord  ;  and  so  long  as  you  withhold  from 
Him  homage,  and  do  not  render  Him  obedience,  both  in 
body  and  soul,  you  are  rebels,  obnoxious  to  punishment, 
without  excuse.  The  confirmatory  seal  of  the  Most  High 
shines  upon  all  that  He  has  revealed,  taught,  and  ordained, 
and  those  who  delay  even  for  one  moment  to  bow  beneath 
His  sceptre,  are  stigmatised  as  rebellious  subjects.  Did  the 
Eternal  Euler  raise  His  Son,  crowned  with  glory  and  honour, 
from  the  dust  of  death  ? — then  this  latter  is  by  such  glorious 
exaltation  proved  to  be  the  Eedo'^ir.er  of  the  world  with 
power;  and  at  the  same  time  our  natural  condition  is  repre- 
sented to  be  so  hopelessly  h?>i.  chat  it  could  be  relieved  only 
by  the  unexampled  manifestations  of  grace.  But  who  would 
be  concerned  for  such  a  sinner?  for  he  strives  with  all  his 
might  against  the  requirement  that  he  should  be  simply  in- 
debted for  his  salvation  to  the  merits  of  another,  to  the 
righteousness  of  a  Mediator.  And  precisely  because  men 
have  an  idea  of  the  consequences  incident  to  faith  in  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  they  reject  it ;  and  maintain,  in  oppo- 


THE  MIKACLE  OF  EASTER.  25 

sition  to  the  voice  of  truth  sounding  loudly  within  them, 
that  the  sun  in  clear  broad  day,  though  brightly  shining 
overhead,  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  heavens  at  all. 

But  it  is  to  be  hoj^ed  you  are  not  among  the  number  of 
those  who  wilfully  evade  a  truth  which  is  fitted  to  transform 
this  earthly  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  into  the  portal  of 
Paradise.  I  assume  that  your  need  of  grace,  peace,  and  a 
certain  liope  of  everlasting  life  has  made  your  eye  single, 
and  quickened  your  apprehension  of  the  reality  and  glory  of 
the  Saviour's  resurrection.  Ye  blessed  ones  !  what  a  stream 
of  comfort  and  of  joy  issues  for  you  from  the  open  grave  in 
Joseph's  garden  !  Oh  say,  after  what  are  your  aspirations  ? 
Is  it  after  a  Prince  of  Peace,  whose  brow  God  himself  has  en- 
circled with  the  diadem  of  honour  ? — a  Kedeemer  who,  under 
His  own  hand  and  seal,  has  attested  that  He  has  "  blotted 
out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,  and 
taken  it  out  of  the  way?"  (Col.  ii.  14) — a  Friend  quite  as 
powerful  as  He  is  condescending,  in  whom  you  may  im- 
plicitly confide,  on  whose  breast  you  may  gently  lean,  into 
whose  bosom  you  may  shed  your  tears,  and  from  whose  love 
you  may  always  indulge  the  highest  hopes  ? — a  Surety  who, 
from  His  own  experience,  can  satisfy  you  that  death  to  the 
believer  involves  nothing  further  than  being  raised  to  the 
vision  of  God  and  glorification  in  the  heavenly  state  ?  All 
this  you  have,  and  infinitely  more,  in  Him  who  hails  you 
from  the  ruins  of  His  riven  tomb,  with  His  "  Peace  be  unto 
you ! " — the  first  morning  salutation  of  a  new  life.  Oh,  fall 
at  Ris  feet  in  adoration  and  homage,  whose  resurrection  , 
already  spreads  the  dawn  of  a  heavenly  day  over  your  earthly  ' 
existence  Open  wide — and  surely  this  can  be  no  diflScult 
matter — the  portals  of  your  heart  to  Him,  that  He  may  enter 
therein  with  the  plenitude  of  His  Easter  consolations ;  and 
whithersoever  you  go  or  stay,  released  from  cares,  and  liav- 
ing  banished  fears,  with  your  inner  soul  attuned  to  perfect 


26  THE  MIRACLE  OF  EASTEE. 

harmony  by  the  exulting   message,    "  The  Lord   is   really 
risen,"  re-echo  the  trium23hant  song  of  the  poet : — 

"  The  Lord  is  risen  again  ! 
Where  is  now  the  death-sting? 
Where,  0  grave,  the  victory  ? 
Thanks  to  God,  and  praise  and  blessing, 
Christ  for  us  hath  risen — 
Christ,  that  lives  in  heaven, 
Hath  to  us  the  victory  given  ! 
To  the  skies 
See  Him  rise  ! 
There,  through  Him,  we  follow ! 
Faxewell,  death  and  sorrow  I     Amen.*'' 


THE  EMPTY  GEAVE.  27 


THE  EMPTY  GRAVE. 

The  mere  existence  of  the  Christian  Church  is  the  mightiest 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  It  would 
not  have  existed  if  Christ  had  not  risen  ;  and  he  who  denies 
the  resurrection  believes  in  an  absurdity,  and  accepts  effects 
which  have  no  causes.  No  doctrine  of  the  Christian  Church 
so  clearly  shews  that  the  root  of  unbelief  is  to  be  found 
oftener  in  the  heart  than  in  the  understanding,  as  that  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ.  Dispute  with  unbelievers  concerning 
every  other  doctrine  or  fact  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  it 
is  possible  that,  even  though  the  point  be  not  settled,  you 
may  leave  off  peaceably  and  pleasantly.  But  if  you  urge 
upon  them  evidences  of  the  historical  truth  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, they  will  part  from  you  embittered  and  angry.  Why 
this  ?  Because  they  cannot  escape  the  painful  feeling  that 
here  all  the  weapons  of  their  critical  acuteness  refuse  to  do 
them  service,  and  the  inward  judge  inexorably  sentences 
them  as  men  who  wilfully  shut  themselves  out  from  the 
truth  against  their  better  knowledge  and  convictions.  When 
Peter,  in  his  defence  before  the  council,  as  reported  in  Acts 
V.  30,  reminded  them  of  Jesus'  resurrection,  and,  in  discuss- 
ing its  truth,  appealed  to  his  own  ocular  testimony  as  well 
as  that  of  his  fcUow-disciples,  and  likewise  to  the  outpouring 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which  latter  event  the  Lord  had  prac- 
tically authenticated  His  exaltation   to  be  ''  a  Prince  and 


28  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE. 

Saviour  of  Israel,"  his  judges  were  "cut  to  the  heart/' — that 
is  to  say,  they  were  enraged,  and  combated  that  which  they 
were  unable  to  resist,  with  insolent  defiance  and  wilful  obdu- 
racy. Gamaliel  alone  perceived  that  this  was  not  the  right 
way  to  combat,  but  that  where  truth  held  the  field  it  wavS 
more  becoming  to  bow  to  her,  whatever  it  might  cost.  May 
the  honesty  which  characterised  Gamaliel  be,  by  God's  grace, 
imparted  to  us,  and  may  it  accompany  us  throughout  the 
whole  course  of  our  Easter  meditations  !  May  it  not  be 
denied  us  to-day ! 

Matt,  xxviii.  5,  8;  IMat^k  xvi.  1-8 ;  Luke  xxiv.  1-12 ;  John  xx.  1~11. 
"  Now  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  very  early  in  the  morning,  when 
it  was  yet  dark,  came  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and 
Salome,  and  others  with  them,  unto  the  sepulchre,  bringing  sAveet  spices 
which  they  had  prepared  that  they  might  embalm  him.  And  they  said 
among  themselves,  Yf ho  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre  ?  But  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that  it  was  rolled  away,  for 
it  was  very  large.  And  they  entered  in,  but  found  not  the  body  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  And,  as  they  were  much  perplexed  concerning  it,  behold, 
there  stood  by  them  two  men  in  shining  garments ;  and  they  saw  a  young 
man  sitting  on  the  right  side,  clothed  in  a  long  white  garment ;  and  they 
were  afraid,  and  bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth.  But  the  angel  an- 
swered and  spake  to  the  women,  Fear  not  ye  ;  I  know  ye  seek  Jesus  who 
w\as  crucified.  But  why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead  ?  He  is  not 
here  :  he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  Come  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay. 
But  go  quickly,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter  that  he  is  risen  from  the  dead. 
Remember  how  he  spake  to  you  when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee  :  The  Son  of 
man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and 
the  third  day  rise  again  :  and  behold  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee ;  there 
shall  ye  see  him.  Lo,  I  have  told  you.  And  they  remembered  his  words, 
and  went  out  quickly,  and  fled  from  the  sepulchre  ;  for  they  trembled  and 
were  amazed :  neither  said  they  anything  to  any  one,  for  they  were  afraid. 
But  they  told  all  these  things  unto  the  eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest ;  but 
their  words  seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and  they  believed  them  not. 
Mary  Magdalene  cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  and  said  unto  them,  They  have  taken  the  Lord  away  out  of 
the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him.  Peter  there- 
fore went  forth,  and  that  other  disciple,  and  they  came  to  the  sepulchre ; 
and  so  they  did   V'oth  run  together,  but  tliat  other  disciple  did  outrun 


THii]  e:.ipty  oeave.  29 

Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre  ;  and  he  stooped  down,  and  looking 
in,  he  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying,  yet  went  he  not  in.  Then  cometh 
Simon  Peter  following  him,  and  went  into  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth  the 
linen  clothes  lie,  and  the  napkin  that  had  been  about  his  head  not  lying 
with  the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in  a  place  by  itself.  Then 
that  other  disciple,  which  came  first  to  the  sepulchre,  went  in  also,  and  he 
saw,  and  believed.  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead.     Then  the  disciples  went  away  again  together." 

The  primary  incidents  in  connexion  with  our  Lord's 
deserted  tomb  are  tliiis  narrated  in  the  combined  accounts 
of  the  evangelists,  reported  partly  from  their  own  observa- 
tion, and  partly  from  that  of  the  female  disciples.  Where 
are  now  the  irreconcilable  discrejiancies  in  their  representa- 
tions, which,  according  to  the  utterances  of  unbelief,  annihi- 
late the  doctrine  of  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred  writers, 
and  expose  them  so  palpably,  that,  at  least  with  reference  to 
the  report  before  us,  we  are  no  longer  on  historic  ground  ? 
I  am  unable  to  discover  these  contradictions.  That  ^Matthew 
and  Mark  only  mention  one  angel  as  having  spoken,  whilst 
Luke  and  Joim  speak  of  a  second  as  having  done  so  like- 
wise, will  hardly  be  considered  a  contradiction  by  any  one. 
Mark's  deviation  from  the  other  accounts  aj)pears  more  im- 
portant, in  stating  that  the  women,  when  hastening  back, 
told  no  one,  whereas  the  other  evangelists  distinctly  say  that 
they  told  the  disciples  all  that  had  happened  to  them.  But 
let  it  be  only  supposed  that  the  women  told  their  secret  to 
no  one  whom  they  met  on  the  way — that  they  at  first,  partly 
from  consternation,  partly  from  joy,  concealed  it  for  a  while 
even  from  the  a2)ostles;  in  this  case  Mark's  account  is  no  less 
accurate  than  that  of  Matthew,  Luke,  and  John.  But  the 
.i:reatest  difficulty  is  presented  in  the  circumstance  that  jMary 
Magdalene,  who  at  early  dawn  joined  the  women  going  out, 
neither,  saw  the  angels  at  the  same  time  as  they  did,  nor 
heard  their  message,  nor  learned  their  errand.  But  the 
solution  of  the  enigma  is  at  hand,  if  we  only — and  what 


so  THE  EMPTY  GEAVE. 

should  binder  us? — present  the  matter  to  ourselves  in  the 
following  manner.  Assuredly  Mary  Magdalene  went  out  of 
Jerusalem  with  the  other  women,  but,  prompted  by  her  quick 
temperament  and  impulsive  habit,  she  rushed  on  before  the 
others,  taking  probably  some  nearer  bypath.  Immediately 
upon  her  entering  the  garden,  she,  to  her  great  consterna- 
tion, observed  that  the  sepulchre  was  shattered;  and  without 
tarrying  for  a  moment,  she  hastened  back  to  the  city  by  the 
same  path  by  which  she  had  gone  there,  and  told  Peter  and 
John  that  the  body  of  our  Lord  had  been  carried  off;  hav- 
ing done  which,  she  at  once  returned  to  the  tomb  with  the 
two  disciples.  It  was  during  this  interval  that  those  inci- 
dents transpired  which  happened  to  her  friends  in  the  garden 
of  Joseph.  They  may,  indeed,  have  left  our  Lord's  tomb 
before  Mary  Magdalene  and  her  companions  had  reached  it. 
When  the  latter,  to  their  no  small  grief,  had  convinced  them- 
selves that  Mary  Magdalene's  report  was  correct,  they  forth- 
with returned  to  Jerusalem,  whilst  she,  abandoned  to  grief, 
stopped  at  the  tomb  ;  and  it  was  then  and  there  that  she  was 
favoured  w^ith  the  sight  of  the  Risen  One,  concerning  which 
we  shall  hear  more  anon.  This  appearance  was  followed  by 
that  described  in  Matt,  xxviii.  9,  10,  in  which  her  friends 
w^ere  cheered  by  our  Lord's  presenting  Himself  to  them,  the 
meeting  taking  place  probably  in  a  spot  near  the  city.  Or, 
in  the  above-mentioned  passage,  did  Matthew  only  concisely 
relate  that  of  which  John  gives  a  more  detailed  account? 
(chap.  XX.  11-17.)  And,  in  his  short  narrative,  did  Matthew 
assign  to  all  the  women  those  incidents  w^hich  occurred  to 
Mary  Magdalene  only  ?  Many  accept  this  version,  and  with 
its  adoption  the  wdiole  narrative  of  the  evangelists  is  cleared 
from  all  perplexity.  But,  indeed,  so  it  is  without  it.  If  we 
only  can  conceive  the  collocation  of  events  to  have  been  such 
as  we  liave  just  represented,  the  harmony  of  the  fourfold 
testimony  is  firmly  cstnblislied  against  all  objections. 


THE  EMPTY  GEAVE.  31 

Now  let  us  pcass  in  review  the  different  features  of  this 
liighly  suggestive  picture.  And  first  of  call,  let  the  mind's 
eye  be  attentively  directed  to  the  luomen  setting  out  at 
early  dawn;  secondly,  to  the  incidents  which  befell  them  at 
the  sepulchre;  thirdly,  their  report  to  the  assembled  dis- 
ciples; as  also,  fourthly,  the  issue  of  their  communication. 

You  remember  that  when  the  corpse  was  deposited  in 
Elisha's  tomb,  it  revived.  In  a  spiritual  sense,  may  we 
experience  something  similar  !  with  this  difference,  however, 
that  the  effect  wrought  in  us  may  be  as  much  greater  as  the 
tomb  we  are  now  about  to  visit  is  greater,  more  sublime,  and 
Iiolier  than  was  that  of  the  prophet  of  Abei-Meholah. 

I.  Night  still  rested  upon  the  holy  city,  and  a  gleam  of 
dawn  was  visible  in  the  distance,  when  by  its  aid  a  heart- 
affecting  sight  is  presented  to  us  in  its  quiet,  deserted  streets. 
It  is  the  approach  of  the  veiled  procession.  We  recognise 
it  as  consisting  of  the  female  disciples  of  the  crucified  Lord. 
They  move  along  with  heads  bowed  low  and  eyes  red  with 
weeping.  They  have  passed  the  night  sleepless,  or  disquieted 
with  unpleasant  dreams ;  and  now,  as  the  Sabbath  is  over, 
they  are  silently  moving  towards  the  garden  of  Joseph,  with 
their  fine  linen,  their  wreaths,  and  their  spices,  in  order  to 
render  the  last  offices  of  love  to  the  dear  remains  of  their 
departed  Friend,  which  had  been  interrupted  when  He  was 
laid  in  the  tomb.  Most  of  them  are  already  known  to  you. 
You  see  among  them  Johanna,  wife  of  Chuza,  an  official  of 
Herod  the  king  ;  Salome,  the  richly  blessed  mother  of  Zebe- 
dee's  children,  the  two  apostles,  John  and  James ;  the  three 
Marys — Mary,  wife  of  Cleopas,  and  mother  of  James  the 
Less  and  of  Joses  ;  another  Mary,  perhaps  Mary  of  Bethany, 
sister  of  Lazarus  and  INIartha ;  and  Mary  Magdalene,  who 
had  been  saved  as  a  brand  from  the  fire,  and  now  burns  with 
more  fervent  affection  than  all  tlie  others  for  her  beloved 
Saviour.      jMary,   the   mother  of  the   Lord,   is  not  in  the 


32  THE  I'MPTY  GRAVE. 

funeral  procession.  Crushed  l)y  the  terrible  blow  whicli  she 
lias  experienced,  this  sorely-afflicted  one  remains  bathed  in 
tears  under  the  roof  of  lier  adopted  son,  John.  But  we 
rejoice  that  our  last  view  of  her  is  not  in  this  liour  of  sorrow. 
"We  find  her  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  abundantly  comforted ; 
happy  once  more,  truly  happy  ;  and  when  she  shortly  after- 
wards disappears  from  our  view,  we  will  know  where  to  look 
for  the  "  highly-favoured  one." 

The  sorrow-stricken  women  move  silently  along.  It  is 
not  until  they  have  nearly  reached  the  garden  that  a  petty 
care  unseals  their  lips,  and  we  hear  them  say,  "  Who  will 
remove  the  stone  for  us  from  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre  ? " 
Thus  all  their  wishes  and  desires  resolved  themselves  into 
this  trivial  solicitude.  Considering  the  unequivocal  pro- 
phecies which  they  had  repeatedly  heard  from  the  mouth  of 
their  Master,  this  seems  hardly  conceivable.  But  the  fearful 
and  bloody  end  of  His  life  must  have  fallen  like  a  terrific, 
devastating  hailstorm  upon  the  harvest-field  of  their  hopes 
and  recollections.  Even  supposing  the  inexpressible  con- 
sternation into  which  they  had  been  throv>m  to  have  left 
them  adequate  opportunity  and  self-possession  to  remember 
what  He  had  heretofore  said  most  unequivocally,  in  reference 
to  His  resurrection  after  His  previous  crucifixion,  yet  they 
must  have  reo^rded  it  as  a  settled  matter  that  they  were 
only  authorised  to  give  it  a  spiritual  meaning,  or,  at  the 
utmost,  to  apply  it  to  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.  For 
the  present,  and  for  all  time.  He  figured  in  the  range  of  their 
gloomy  and  veiled  notions  but  as  one  of  the  dead  —  an 
inanimate  corpse.  Hence  they  restricted  all  their  affectionate 
solicitude  to  one  (jbject — gently  and  reverentially  to  commit 
His  remains  to  their  long  sleep  in  the  bosom  of  the  earth. 
Alas !  how  many  are  there  now-a-days  who,  like  the  women, 
need  to  have  the  stone  rolled  away  from  the  door  of  their 
Saviour's  sepulchre !     To  how  many  who  are  baptized  in 


THE  EMPTY  GRAVE.  33 

and  called  by  His  holy  name,  is  Christ  but  a  corpse  still ! 
Were  they  but  equally  distressed  and  anxious  for  salvation, 
as  were  these  female  disciples  now  on  their  way  to  His  tomb, 
surely  we  might  trace  an  analo;,^  in  their  .subsequent  expe- 
rience^. But  our  ri.sen  Lord  to  this  hour  witlidraws  Himself 
from  all  who  will  not  feel  their  need  of  Him,  from  all  who 
are  satisfied  with  their  own  righteousness.  Yes  !  their  be- 
setting self-love  and  self-sufficiency  work  their  delusion;  they 
are  ever  seeking  the  living  among  the  dead,  whilst,  on  the 
contrary,  the  Church  of  our  Cod  never  ceases  to  ring  with 
hallelujahs,  simply  because  He  is  risen ;  and  instead  of  re- 
joicing with  believers,  sayino-,  ''Jesus  lives,  and  I  too  live 
in  him,"  and  seeing  heaven  opened  to  them,  they  must 
needs  repeat  the  disconsolate  commonplace,  "  No  one  has 
ever  returned  from  the  realms  of  the  dead."  Poor  souls  ! 
how  are  they  to  be  pitied ! 

11.  When  these  mourners  reached  the  garden,  they  were 
still  occupied  with  the  anxious  desire  to  know  "  who  should 
remove  the  massive  stone  from  the  entrance  to  the  tomb." 
What  do  they  perceive  there?  Oh!  what  can  it  mean? 
Behold !  the  stone  has  already  been  moved  aside,  and  the 
interior  of  the  tomb  lies  exposed.  But  the  spectacle  plunges 
them  in  fresh  perplexity,  The  weakness  of  their  faith  sug- 
gests that  some  violence  had  been  practised  upon  His  dear 
remains.  Trembling  with  fearful  anticipation,  they  draw 
near  the  sepulchre  !  Lo  !  suddenly  there  gleams  forth  from 
it  a  beam  of  light  like  lightning,  and  by  its  marvellous  bril- 
liancy they  discover  two  figures,  young  men  clad  in  glittering 
garments,  in  whom  they  immediately  recognise  two  beings 
from  another  world,  two  angels  of  Cod.  Do  not  marvel  that 
the  resurrection  should  have  been  accompanied  by  such 
extraordinary  appearances  as  these.  AVithout  such,  as  some 
one  has  truly  observed,  the  resurrection  of  Christ  would 
have  been  a  spring  without  flowers,  a  sun  without  rays,  a 


34  THE  EMPTY  GEAVE. 

victory  without  a  triumphal  wreath.  It  was  right  that  the 
majesty  of  the  Almighty  should  be  revealed  in  every  possible 
way  in  connexion  with  it,  and  holy  angelic  beings  are  truly 
some  of  the  most  lovely  rays  of  His  glory.  Yet  they  were 
not  present  for  the  sake  of  pageant  or  parade,  but,  as  on 
every  other  occasion,  so  likewise  on  this,  for  the  sake  of 
those  who  are  heirs  of  salvation.  They  had  been  sent  as 
heralds,  to  communicate  a  message.  Scarcely  had  the  women 
recovered  from  their  first  astonishment,  when  one  of  the 
angels  opened  his  gracious  lips,  and  speaking  to  the  sorrow- 
ful party  from  within  the  tomb,  said,  "  Fear  not  ye  :  for  I 
know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  who  was  crucified.  Why  seek  ye 
the  living  among  the  dead  ?  He  is  not  here.  He  is  risen, 
as  he  said.     Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay." 

There  you  have  one  of  the  most  blessed  messages  ever  yet 
heard  on  earth.  The  plain  simple  form  in  which  it  presents 
itself  to  us  at  once  stamps  it  with  the  impress  of  truth  !  The 
mere  poet  or  mythologist  would  have  made  the  messengers 
of  God  proclaim  more  emphatically  and  ostentatiously  an 
event  which  lighted  up  earth's  dark  valley  of  death  with  a 
starry  firmament  of  the  brightest  hopes.  But  the  heavenly 
messengers  were  intent  only  upon  informing  mankind  of  the 
historical  fact,  and  they  left  it  to  the  highly-favoured  ones 
themselves  to  celebrate  the  wonderful  event  in  psalms  and 
songs  of  praise.  It  cannot  escape  you  that  the  mode  in 
which  the  angels  express  themselves  proposed  nothing  be- 
yond announcing,  with  due  emphasis,  the  reality  of  the  re- 
surrection of  Christ,  and  placing  it  beyond  all  doubt.  The 
"  Crucified  One,"  say  they.  He  whom  the  women  seek  in  the 
grave,  is  risen  from  the  dead.  Yes  !  He  Himself  arose,  and 
that,  too,  bodily,  as  He  was  buried.  Here  from  the  place 
where  He  lay  has  He  raised  Himself.  Through  this  open 
stone  doorway  has  He  gone  forth  again  alive.  "  Fear  not 
ye."     With  liow  much  stronger  emphasis  might  that  "  Fear 


THE  EMPTY  GEAVE.  35 

not  ye"  be  proclaimed  in  this  sinful  world,  than  on  that 
sacred  night  when  the  shepherds  on  Bethlehem's  plains  were 
greeted  with  the  same  salutation  !  For  now  fear,  care,  terror, 
and  doubt  were  utterly  banished  from  every  secret  hiding- 
place.  "Who  would  now  be  disposed  to  accuse,  or  who  to 
condemn?  and  what  now  remained  to  oppress  and  terrify 
the  poor  heart  of  man  ? 

Whether  Jesus  Christ  be  really  the  only-begotten  Son  of 
the  Father,  whether  His  work  of  mediation  be  held  in  the 
Father's  eyes  to  be  fully  perfected  and  sufficient  for  the  ex- 
piation of  our  sins,  whether  the  way  of  salvation  which  He 
has  pointed  out  to  us  be  the  one  leading  there  surely  and 
infallibly,  and  whether  death  has  been  really  vanquished 
and  paradise  regained  for  us  by  Him, — all  these  and  many 
other  glorious  truths  beside  are  now  placed  by  the  resur- 
rection beyond  doubt.  Their  affirmation  was  decided;  it 
was  most  clearly  confirmed  by  the  seal  of  the  Most  High. 
There  is  no  longer  any  distressing  condition  upon  earth  to 
which  the  "  Fear  not  ye"  of  the  angels,  together  with  the 
j^owerful  grounds  of  consolation  on  which  that  utterance  is 
founded,  may  not  be  applied.  It  brightens  the  darkest 
nights  of  sorrow  with  divine  gleams  of  hope,  and  banishes, 
at  least,  the  horror  of  despair  from  the  gloomiest  vales  of 
life. 

The  women  feel  conscious  of  the  profound  significance  of 
the  angel's  exclamation  ;  but  again  they  are  so  overcome  by 
the  greatness  of  the  joyful  news  thus  intimated,  that  at  first 
they  can  only  rejoice  with  trembling.  They  stand  there 
dumb  with  wonder.  But  the  heavenly  messenger  rouses 
them  from  their  torpor,  commanding  them  forthwith  to  go 
and  tell  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  and  especially  Peter,  that 
their  Master  had  risen,  and  is  alive  again.  Truly  a  more 
glorious  errand  than  this  was  never  committed  to  any  mor- 
tal !     That  which  makes  our  office,  the  office  of  ambassadors 


36  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE. 

for  Christ,  the  most  deliglitful  on  earth,  is,  that  the  charge 
committed  to  the  minister  of  Christ  is  analogous  to  that 
given  to  the  women.     How  enviable  would  the  preacher  of 
the  gospel  be,  if  the  message  which  he  has  to  declare  were 
everywhere  and  at  once  believingly  received  !     How  happy 
would  the  world  be  made  by  his   presence,  dispelling  on  all 
sides  the  shadows  of  sorrow,  spreading  sunshine  over  the 
beds  of  the  sick  and  the  dying,  and  transforming  the  grave 
itself  into  a  peaceful  place  of  rest,  nay,  rather,  into  the  gate 
of  heaven!     He  would  be  the  angel  of  humanity;   peace 
and  joy  would  ever  attend  his  steps.     But,  in  a  majority  of 
cases,  how  long  have  we  to  knock  at  the  fast- closed  doors  of 
the  heart,  ere  it  be  opened  to  receive  our  message !     This 
may  be  salutary  for  us  as  an  exercise  of  humility  and  of 
prostration   in  the   dust,   but   the   world  only  excites   our 
commiseration.     In  God's  own  gracious  time,  however,  we 
are  ever  and  anon  encouraged  by  a  specific  message  to  indi- 
viduals, as  were  these  good  women  who  were  desired  to  an- 
nounce a  fact  to  the  eleven  and  to  Peter.     It  was  cordially 
received  by  them  all,  but  especially  by  Peter.     What  could 
be  more  touching,  and,  at  the  same  time,  more  elevating, 
than  this  special  mention  of  the  poor  fallen  disciple  ?    "  Tell 
it  to  Peter."     It  shall  be  first  announced  to  him  ;  before  all 
others  to  him,  weeping  in  retirement,  overcome  with  peni- 
tence and  shame.     No  one  was  so  near  to  the  heart  of  the 
risen  Saviour  as  he  was.     I  ask  again,  could  there  be  any- 
thing more  touching,  and,  at  the  same  time,  more  consola- 
tory, than  this  more  than  motherly  tenderness  of  the  Lord  of 
lords  for  His  contrite,  broken-hearted  Simon  ?   Together  with 
the  notification  of  the  resurrection,  the  women  were  desired 
to  remind  the  eleven  of  a  previous  utterance  of  their  Master, 
according  to  which  He  engaged  that,  after  His  resurrection' 
He  would  go  before  them  into  Galilee.     The  angel  expressly 
told  the  women   this,  and  emphasised  His  words,  adding, 


THE  EMPTY  GEAVE.  37 

"Lo,  I  have  told  you  i'  These  female  disciples,  agitated 
with  inexpressible  emotions,  and  perliaps  yet  doubtful  whe- 
ther they  were  awake  or  only  under  the  illusion  of  a  pleasant 
dream,  hasten  back  to  the  city.  They  encounter  several 
persons  on  their  road,  but,  maintaining  strict  silence,  they 
hasten  by  them,  keeping  their  secret  locked  up  in  their 
breasts, 

III.  But  we  will  leave  them  for  a  few  moments,  and  turn 
our  attention  to  another  incident.     We  know  already  that  at 
early  dawn,  when  the  women  had  scarcely  reached  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  city,  ]\Iary  Magdalene,  whose  temperament  most 
resembled  Peter's,  had  hastened  before  them,  on  wings  of 
impatience,  by  a  shorter  road.     To  see  the  open  and  empty 
tomb,  and  to  hasten  back  to  Jerusalem  to  tell  the  disciples 
the  alarming  news,  were  to  her  but  oioe  operation.     She  met 
John,  and  his  friend  Peter,  in  the  city,  and  gave  them  as  a 
sad  morning  salutation  the  sorrowful  news,  "  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not  where 
they  have  laid  him,"  (John  xx.  2.)     At  this  news  the  two 
hurried  away  to  the  garden ;  and  JMary  Magdalene  returning 
scarcely  was  outrun  by  them.    They  arrived  there  just  as  the 
other  women  had  left  the  sacred  spot ;  they  actually  found 
everything  as  Mary  had  informed  them.     The  stone  was 
rolled  away,  and  the  grave  was  empty.     John  arrived  there 
first ;  but  either  from  tender  awe,  or  fear  that  his  feelings 
would  be  too  much  for  him,  he  did  not  enter  the  tomb, 
though,  from  a  little  distance,  he  looked  into  it,  and  saw  the 
linen  clothes  in  which  the  beloved  remains  had  been  wrapped. 
Peter,  on  the  other  hand,  to  search  out  the  matter,  entered 
the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  what  there  met  his  eye.    Folded, 
as  by  a  careful  hand,  lay  the  napkins  and  linen  clothes  in 
one  place,  and  in  another,  folded  also  smoothly  and  carefully, 
lay  the  napkin  which  had  been  bound  round  our  Lord's 
bleeding  head.     Then  John  wished  to  see  it  also,  and  rever- 


•58  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE. 

ently,  as  if  his  foot  were  on  holy  ground,  entered  the  sepul- 
chre.    Certainly  the  napkin  thus  neatly  folded  would  have 
seemed  to  them  to  indicate  anything  rather  than  a  violent 
abstraction  of  the  body ;  but  this  circumstance  was  inade- 
quate to  suggest  more  than  a  fleeting  thought  of  the  real 
bodily  resurrection  of  the  Lord.     This  seems  incomprehen- 
sible to  us,  but  it  actually  was  so.     The  Gospel  says,  "For 
as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again 
from  the  dead."     And  truly  they  did  not  know  it.     If  they 
had  ever  read  anything  about  the  victory  over  death  to  be 
achieved  by  the  expected  Messiah,  or  had  they  ever  heard 
anything   concerning  it  from   the   mouth   of  their  Master 
himself,  like  Mary  and  Martha  just  before  the  ai^proaching 
resuscitation  of  their  brother  Lazarus,  they  lost  and  dissi- 
pated the  real  sense  by  assigning  a  subtilised  and  spiritual 
one.    They  returned  despondently  from  the  garden  of  Joseph 
to  Jerusalem,  but  without  their  friend  Mary  Magdalene,  who 
could  not  yet  tear  herself  from  His  grave  who  w"as  to  her  all 
in  all. 

The  two  had  just  returned  home  to  the  other  disciples, 
when,  possibly  some  few  moments  after  their  arrival,  the 
women,  whom  in  our  narrative  we  accompanied  for  some 
distance  on  their  way  home,  arrived  likewise.  We  see  them, 
in  a  state  of  the  highest  excitement,  join  the  circle  of  the 
disciples.  Here,  likewise,  their  lips  are  for  a  while  closely 
sealed.  Will  anything  so  wonderful  be  believed?  Lideed, 
the  fact,  as  narrated,  and  \^\1q\\  they  had  to  repeat,  was  to 
them  of  overwhelming  import,  and  in  itself  transcendently 
glorious.  But  joy  presently  unsealed  their  lips,  and  we  now 
hear  them  each  vying  with  the  other  in  animation,  relieving 
their  full  hearts  by  telling  of  the  ^marvellous  things  which 
they  had  seen  and  heard.  They  report  that  they  had  been 
favoured  with  a  vision  of  angels,  and  then  deliver  the  trans- 
porting message  which  one  of  the  heavenly  heralds  had  com- 


THE  EMPTY  GRAVE.  3D 

mitted  to  them  for  tlie  disci2:)lGS.  And  they  have  yet  some- 
thing mucli  more  important  still,  to  which  we  shall  recur 
later.  For  they  insist  upon  it,  that  they  have  personally 
seen  the  Lord  himself.  The  discii)les  hear,  but  scarcely 
trust  their  ears.  "  Angels  in  their  Master's  tomb  1  And 
assurance  from  the  lips  of  one  of  them  that  the  Master  is 
risen  !  Nay,  more  than  that,  an  interview  with  the  Eisen 
One  himself:  Oh,  that  all  this  had  not  transpired  under 
the  veil  of  twilight,  and  that  the  message  had  been  delivered 
by  other  lips  than  those  of  excited  and  credulous  women  ! 
Jb'or  John  and  Simon  were  both  there  too,  and  they  saw  and 
heard  nothing  of  it."  With  such  thonghts  as  these  the 
eleven  are  exercised,  and  they  do  not  believe ;  or  rather  let 
me  sa}^  they  strive  against  belief.  It  was  just  so  with  the 
other  disciples  when  they  heard  of  it.  "  Por  the  words  of 
the  women,"  according  to  historic  record,  "appeared  to  them 
Hs  idle  tales."  Poor  men  !  how  little  confidence  do  they 
shew  in  the  power  and  love  of  the  living  God ;  how  little 
ability  have  they  to  grasp  the  divine  scheme  of  salvation  to 
be  wrought  out  by  Christ ;  how  limited  was  their  aj^prehen- 
sion  of  all  that  they  had  heard,  during  three  whole  years, 
from  the  mouth  of  the  JMaster  himself,  as  to  the  real  object 
of  His  mission  to  the  world  !  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  say 
how  far  the  natural  man  is  carried  away  from  belief  in  a 
living  God  constantly  operating  creatively ;  he  gets  entangled 
in  what  we  style  *'  the  unchangeable  laws  of  nature."  And 
up  to  this  very  day  we  cannot  get  absolutely  clear  of  secret 
doubt,  as  to  whether  the  resurrection  be  not  a  fable,  though 
the  most  cogent  arguments  for  its  historical  truth  be  brought 
home  to^the  understanding,  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  has  per- 
fected in  us  the  work  of  Divine  illumination,  and  has,  with 
the  pangs  of  the  new  birth,  thoroughly  convinced  us  that  we 
are  irrecoverably  lost,  without  a  God-man  Mediator  sacri- 
ficed as  a  sin-offerino-  for  us,  and  then  raised  airain  from  the 


40  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE. 

dust  of  death  to  the  glory  of  a  new  life.  But  if  the  light  of 
Pentecost  dispel  our  dariaiess,  it  will  then  truly  appear  in- 
comprehensible how  we  should  ever  have  given  room  to  the 
slightest  doubt  as  to  an  event  distinguished  by  more  confir-. 
niatory  seals  than  any  other  in  universal  history.  May  the 
Lord  help  us  likewise,  in  the  way  above  indicated,  to  a  right 
belief  of  the  resurrection,  and  loose  the  tongue  of  our  hearts, 
so  that  we  may  shout  with  the  sacred  poet — 

"  Emmanuel's  glory  pledged  to  me, 

All  in  all  I  now  possess  ; 
Above  He  keeps  a  heavenly  home 

For  my  soul  in  readiness  ; 
Though  sin  and  curse  hang  o'er  me  still, 
I  conquer'd  have,  and  conquer  xdll. 

**  Through  the  world  I  joyous  travel, 

With  Christ  my  strength  I'm  glad  at  soul 

Happy  now  though  waves  of  trouble 
Still  across  my  bosom  roll ! 

Happier  when,  life's  voyage  o'er, 

My  bark  shall  rest  for  evermore  f  * 


CHRIST'S  FIKST  APPEARANCE.  41 


IV. 

CHRIST'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE. 

That  the  risen  Saviour  should,  as  the  apostle  Peter  ex- 
pressly observes  in  Acts  x.  41,  "  have  appeared  not  to  all  the 
people,  hut  only  unto  luitnesses  chosen  before  of  God!'  has 
excited  in  many  surprise,  and  shaken  the  faith  of  others.  It 
is  not  difficult,  however,  to  perceive  why  it  was  so.  In  the 
first  place,  the  Lord  had  brought  His  ministry  to  a  close;  and 
to  a  generation  that  had  wilfully  and  obstinately  resisted  the 
truth  proclaimed  by  Him,  the  aj^pearance  of  the  Risen  One 
would  have  been  a  matter  of  indifference,  and  without  results. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  He  had  shewn  Himself  again  to  a 
hostile  people,  the  proverb  would  only  have  been  verified  in 
their  experience,  which  Christ,  in  the  parable  of  the  rich 
man  and  poor  Lazarus,  put  in  Abraham's  mouth — "If  they 
hear  not  Moses  and  the  i^rophets,  neither  will  they  be  per- 
suaded though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  Moreover,  had  it 
come  to  pass  that  the  people  were  constrained  to  admit  the 
Risen  One  was  neither  a  phantom,  nor  one  merely  awakened 
out  of  a  trance,  but  really  risen  from  the  dead,  the  fruit  and 
effect  of  the  conviction  thus  attained  would  have  been  but 
idle  astonishment,  or  a  blind  enthusiasm,  or  a  disjDosition 
excited  in  them  to  make  Him  a  king ;  but  without  a  believ- 
ing surrender  of  the  heart  to  Him.  Finally,  the  purpose 
involved  in  our  Lord's  manifestations  of  Himself  during  the 
forty  days,  was  simply  to  crown  the  faith  of  believers,  to 


42  cheist's  fiest  appeaeance. 

spirituLise  still  more  the  communion  into  which  they  had 
already  o.itered  with  Him  as  their  Divine  Head,  and  to  give 
it  a  hccivanly  glorification.  This  was  a  purpose  which,  from 
its  nature,  could  not  extend  to  the  great  masses  who  were 
ruled  by  a  worldly  spirit.  Here  that  law  was  brought  into 
exercise,  "  that  to  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall 
have  more  abundantly."  The  scenes  reported  as  having 
transpired  during  the  forty  days,  unveil  the  outskirts  of 
paradise.  Here  a  barrier  had  necessarily  to  be  erected,  and 
the  profane  were  warned  to  keep  their  distance.  Our  Lord 
rejected  the  service  of  an  extorted  faith ;  that  which  He 
accepted  was  the  spontaueous  affection  of  a  soul  feeling  its 
need  of  salvation.  And  He  did  not  look  around  for  such  in 
vain.  We  shall  presently  have  an  opportunity  of  convincing 
ourselves  of  the  fact. 

John  xx.  11-18. 

"  But  Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping ;  and  as  she  wept, 
she  stooped  down,  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth  two  angels  in 
white  sitting,  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the  body 
of  Jesus  had  lain.  And  they  say  unto  her,  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? 
She  saith  vxnto  them,  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  him.  And  when  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned 
herself  back,  and  saw  Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  whom  seekest  thou? 
She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  if  thou  have 
borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him 
away.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  She  turned  herself,  and  saith  unto  him, 
Eabboni ;  which  is  to  say,  Master,  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Touch  me  not ; 
for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father  :  but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say 
unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father ;  and  to  my  God, 
and  your  God.  IMary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had 
seen  the  Lord,  and  that  he  had  spoken  these  thmgs  unto  her." 

Might  we  not,  whenever  this  Gospel  is  read,  imagine  that 
we  were  listening  to  a  hymn  of  praise  of  ecstatic  harmony 
in  connexion  with  the  resurrection,  rather  than  a  narra- 
tive of    the  event.     What  object    can  be  more    charming, 


CHRIST'S  FIRST  APPEAEANCE.  43 

affecting,  and  tender,  than  the  scene  which  is  here  brouglit 
under  our  observation?  A.  higher  world  here  stands  out 
from  the  lower  one,  in  which  all  that  we  prize  as  most  beau- 
tiful and  noble  uj^on  earth  is  presented  to  us  as  lighted 
up  with  heavenly  glory ;  and  from  thence  a  light  beams  on 
us,  in  the  wondrous  radiance  of  wiiich  every  gloomy  care  in 
our  own  course  is  dissipated.  In  its  light,  the  way  through 
tlie  valley  of  our  pilgrimage,  stretching  beyond  death  and 
the  tomb,  lies  disclosed  before  us  as  a  peaceful  path  bloom- 
ing with  the  most  exalted  hopes.  Let  us  contemplate  this 
attractive  story  from  a  nearer  point  of  view,  and  may  our 
spiritual  energies  be  increased  by  meditation  iqjon  the  first 
appearance  of  the  risen  Prince  of  Peace.  In  Marys  grief 
lue  shall  recognise  the  indispensable  condition  of  all  true 
joy  in  the  resurrection;  and  in  the  personal  revelation  of 
the  Prince  of  the  Resurrection,  we  shall  find  the  end  of  all 
earthly  sorrows.  May  that  happiness  be  again  experienced 
in  our  midst  which  was  then  realised  by  Mary  Magdalene. 
The  Lord  of  His  mercy  grant  it ! 

L  The  rising  sun  is  just  about  to  gild  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  of  Judea  with  the  first  roseate  tints  of  dawn.  It 
is  spring,  and  day  breaks  beautifully  over  the  realm  of 
nature,  whilst  One  incomparably  more  beautiful  breaks  over 
the  spiritual  world.  You  will  see  nothing  of  the  latter  at 
the  moment  we  are  entering  Joseph's  garden.  On  the  con- 
trary, our  eye  at  once  fixes  itself  upon  a  scene  which  forms 
a  harsh  contrast  to  the  cheerful  festive  dress  with  which 
newly-awakened  nature  is  adorned.  Look  yonder !  do  you 
not  see,  between  those  shrubs  in  front  of  the  open  sepulchre, 
the  veil  of  mourning  waving  in  the  breeze  ?  Who  is  she 
who,  all  alone,  has  found  her  way  here  so  early,  whose  eyes 
are  swimming  in  tears,  and  who,  with  her  head  leaninir  on 
tlie  stone,  seems  ready  to  faint  with  agony  and  grief?  You 
know  her.    It  is  that  disciple  whom  you  saw,  at  the  Pharisee's 


44  Christ's  fieoT  appearance. 

house,  a  while  ago,  wash  her  Divine  Master's  feet  with  her 
tears  and  dry  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head, — she  who 
once  went  so  far  astray,  and  was  so  fearfully  possessed, — she 
whom  her  Lord  liberated  from  the  power  of  seven  devils, 
and  in  a  peculiar  manner  rescued  as  a  brand  out  of  the  fire. 
Much  had  been  forgiven  her,  and  therefore  she  loved  and 
still  loves  much.  How  happy  was  she  then,  so  gloriously 
saved !  But,  alas !  her  sun  declined,  and  the  day  of  her 
peace,  according  to  all  appearance,  was  never  likely  to  dawn 
again.  What  she,  when  sobered  down  from  worldly  intoxi- 
cation, once  desired,  with  passionate  impatience,  whether 
men  call  it  truth  or  assurance, — that  God  would  restore  her 
to  favour,  confer  power  to  overcome  Satan  and  the  world, 
and  the  hope  of  eternal  life, — all  these,  and  much  more 
besides,  Mary  Magdalene  had  found  in  Jesus  her  Prince  of 
Peace.  Through  His  instrumentality,  she  saw  her  past 
merged  in  the  sea  of  oblivion ;  the  blissful  rays  of  His  grace 
and  love  to  sinners  brightened  up  her  present  and  her  future. 
Whenever  she  contrasted  her  present  with  her  past,  she  felt 
as  if  she  must  join  in  the  holy  Virgin's  anthem — "  Behold, 
from  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed."  But 
now,  all  that  beautiful  world,  in  which  she  was  once  so 
happy,  lies  shattered  before  her.  Its  foundation's  are  broken 
up.  Her  Surety  for  all  that  she  had  accepted  as  eternal 
truth,  had  sunk  in  death,  and  was  still  held  by  death.  And 
had  only  His  lifeless  corpse  still  been  there,  Mary  would 
certainly  have  bathed  even  this  with  her  tears.  But  then — 
What!  would  she  then  still  hope  in  a  resurrection?  I 
will  not  precisely  maintain  that ;  but  the  contrast  between 
the  S23otless  innocence  of  her  Divine  Friend,  and  the  dreadful 
termination  of  His  life,  are  presented  to  her  mind  in  such 
glaring,  yea,  in  such  appalling  contradiction,  that  it  seems  to 
her  the  world  must  sink  in  ruins,  unless  there  be  a  har- 
monious settlement,  unless  there  be  a  satisfactory  explanation 


CHRIST'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE.  45 

of  the  dreadful  mystery.  She  has  no  longer  any  clearly- 
defined  ground  of  hope,  especially  now  that  His  dear  remains 
have  disappeared.  But  why  does  she  perpetually  repeat  those 
prying  glances  into  the  empty  sepulchre  ?  A  certain  some- 
thing, which  at  least  borders  on  hope,  lingers  and  lives  in  the 
depths  of  her  soul.  It  is,  however,  only  like  a  slender  flame  in 
a  room  where  the  draught  from  the  door  or  window  makes  it 
flicker  to  and  fro,  and  threatens  every  moment  to  put  it  out. 
But  did  not  the  disciple  deserve  a  severe  rebuke  for  her 
excessive  grief,  since  she  was  not  bereft  of  everything  ?  Her 
Master's  teaching  and  His  bright  example  were  still  left  to 
her.  To  put  such  a  question  as  this,  betrays  in  the  speaker 
a  very  superficial  notion  of  what  is  needed  above  everything 
else  by  sinful  humanity.  What  could  Christ's  teaching  be 
to  Mary,  if  the  teacher,  instead  of  being  accredited,  were 
repudiated  by  God  ?  What  the  value  of  all  His  engagements 
and  promises,  if  the  Eternal  left  Him  v/ithout  the  attesting 
seal?  What  His  mediatorial  redemption,  if  the  closing 
scene  in  the  life  of  Him  who  assumed  to  be  the  surety  of 
th.is  redemption,  stamped  it  as  a  failure?  What  the  hope 
of  future  bliss,  if  He  who  suggested  it  Himself  remained, 
under  the  power  of  death  ?  She  saw  her  whole  salvation 
strictly  connected  with  the  personality  of  the  man ;  and  in 
this  she  was  perfectly  right.  She  needed  a  propitiator  and 
mediator  accredited  of  God,  who  could  be  her  representative 
before  the  Judge  of  the  living  and  of  the  dead,  who  could 
secure  to  her  the  Divine  favour,  who  could  give  her  eternal 
life.  Without  such  a  one,  she  wanted  everything  that  could 
set  her  soul  at  ease.  She  had  believed  that  she  had  found 
him  :  according  to  present  appearances,  however,  her  faith 
had  been  but  a  beautiful,  blissful  dream.  Will  you  still 
doubt  whether  she  had  good  reason  for  shedding  those  tears 
before  the  empty  sepulchre?  Assuredly  you  would  not, 
were  you  to  place  yourself  in  her  position. 


46  CHRIST'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE. 

But  be  assured  there  is  no  Easter  joy  in  the  resurrection 
to  the  man  who,  the  instant  he  conceives  the  Mediator  as 
having  been  removed,  knows  nothing  of  Mary's  anguish, 
who  does  not  feel  himself  to  be  unhappy,  helpless,  and 
wretched,  with  an  intensity  of  feeling  like  hers.  The  first 
condition  of  participation  in  the  joy  of  the  resurrection  lies 
in  this,  that  after  a  man  has  been  thoroughly  convinced  of 
his  lost  state,  he  passionately  thirst  for  the  grace  of  God  and 
the  assurance  of  eternal  life, — that  he  feel  and  confess  all  the 
world  can  oflPer  to  relieve  this  craving  is  inadequate.  As  it 
was  with  Mary  Magdalene  in  the  instance  before  us,  so  he 
will  never  attain  inward  peace  until  he  have  met  One  who 
came  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  not  only  to  announce  in 
God's  name  pardon  to  sinners,  but  who  confirmed  the  cheer- 
ing; messaoe  in  a  manner  that  commended  itself  alike  to 
both  head  and  heart.  And  this  One  has  appeared.  The 
soul  which  finds  itself  in  despair  as  to  all  human  counsel 
and  comfort,  and  yearns  for  some  fixed  grounds  of  hope, 
will  infallibly  and  speedily  discover  Him  in  the  Lord  of  the 
resurrection,  and  having  done  so,  will  ask  nothing  further  of 
heaven  or  earth. 

Mary  bends  down  again,  and  tries  once  more  to  pry  into 
the  sepulchre,  as  though  it  were  inconceivable  that  the  dear 
remains  should  have  disappeared  from  within  it.  She  sees 
two  noble  forms  in  white  garments,  the  one  sitting  at  the 
head,  the  other  at  the  foot,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had 
lain.  We  know  who  these  living  antitypes  of  the  cherubim 
standing  upon  the  ark  of  the  covenant  were.  0  you  who, 
having  turned  aside  from  the  faith,  still  follow  your  own 
ways,  learn  here  to  have  some  perception,  though  imperfect, 
how  happy  they  are,  even  on  this  side  the  grave,  to  whom 
the  gospel  is  a  truth  in  their  inmost  souls.  AU  terrors  are, 
for  them,  removed ;  the  heavenly  world  rises  before  their 
view  as  one  of  glory,  and  imparts  its  glory  to  this  earth ; 


CHRIST'S  FJEST  APPEAKANCE.  47 

even  from  the  tomb  they  are  hailed  by  the  divine  heralds  of 
peace,  with  transporting  announcements  of  immortal  life. 
"  Woman,  why  lueepest  thou  ? "  One  of  the  heavenly 
^Yatchers  at  the  sepulchre  addresses  in  these  words  a  female 
disciple  dissolved  in  tears.  It  is  still  uncertain  whether  she 
recognised  the  angels  as  such,  or  whether  she  thought  them 
mere  men.  But  granting  that  she  recognised  the  angels  to 
be  such,  it  was  not  they  of  whom  she  was  in  search,  but  a 
totally  different  Being ;  and  even  the  highly  encouraging 
question,  "  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? "  would  only  have 
tended  to  wound  her  more  deeply,  for  it  must  have  been 
unintelligible  to  her  why  any  one  should  inquire  the  cause 
of  her  tears.  "  They  have  taken  aiuay  my  Lord,"  she  re- 
plied, sobbing,  ''  and  I  know  not  ivhere  they  have  laid  him." 
How  affecting  are  these  words  !  and  how  much  faith  gleams 
through  that  expression,  "  My  Lord,"  notwithstanding  all 
her  other  unbelief !  Whatever  may  have  become  of  Him, 
He  remains,  now  as  before,  her  Lord,  and  she  His  humble 
and  devoted  handmaid  and  disciple.  She  still  convulsively 
clings  to  the  dead,  like  one  suspended  over  a  yawning  abyss, 
who  clutches  the  last  holdfast  he  could  seize  in  the  act  of 
fallmg.  If  she  must  give  up  the  Master  for  lost,  a  whole 
host  of  holy  angels,  however  friendly  their  approach,  would 
have  failed  to  compensate  for  His  absence.  And  this  feeling 
of  hers  is  neither  unfounded  nor  illusory.  What  could  the 
angels  offer  her,  who  needed  a  Mediator,  to  reunite  the 
broken  ties  between  her  and  the  thrice  Holy  One  above,  and 
to  present  her,  a  sinner  fallen  under  the  curse  of  the  law, 
justified  before  God? 

II.  ]\Iary  Magdalene,  after  this  sliort  interview  with  the 
angels,  resigns  herself  again  to  grief.  Anon  she  hears  foot- 
steps behind  her.  Turning  hastily  round,  who  is  it  that 
stands  before  her  tear-bedimmed  eyes  ?  One  whom  she 
supposes  to  be  Joseph's  gardener.     But  what  was  he  to  her  ? 


48  cheist's  first  appearance. 

She  leans  her  head  back  on  the  stone,  and  her  tears  again 
flow  more  abundantly.  You  need  not  be  surprised  that  she 
did  not  know  Him,  though  she  looked  Him  in  the  face.  Only 
remember  her  poor  suffused  eyes,  and  that  v/orld  filled  with 
images  of  mourning  and  of  death  to  which  her  spirit  was 
confined,  and  which  had  no  room  for  the  living.  Indeed  she 
might  rightly  call  the  Unknown  One  a  gardener.  He  was 
so, — a  heavenly  one,  who  now  drew  near  to  restore  and  raise 
again,  with  tender  hand,  a  flower  that  had  been  beaten  down 
and  nearly  broken  off  the  stem  by  the  storm.  Whoever 
weeps  after  Him  He  is  not  far  from,  no  matter  where  the 
spot  may  be.  The  supposed  gardener  opens  His  gracious 
lips,  and  says,  "  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest 
thou?"  These,  then,  were  His  first  words  after  His  resur- 
rection. Oh  matchless  morning  salutation ! — a  greeting  of 
comprehensive  import  for  the  whole  body  of  believers  !  The 
expression,  "  Whe^^efore  this  lueeping  ?  why  these  tears  V 
removes  every  cause  for  them,  and  is  equivalent  to  that  com- 
mand in  the  Book  of  Eevelation,  uttered  in  the  exercise  of 
Divine  authority,  "  Weep  not !  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  hath  prevailed."  Whatever  they  may  seek, — whether 
it  be  truth,  whether  it  be  peace,  whether  it  be  consolation  in 
life  and  in  death, — that  expression,  "What  seekest  thou?'' 
instructs  them  that  they  might  long  since  have  found  it, 
since  God  hath  prepared  it  abundantly  in  Him  in  whom  lie 
hidden  ''  all  the  treasures  both  of  wisdom  and  knowledge," 
as  well  as  those  of  "  grace  and  salvation."  0  Mary,  at  any 
rate  understand  that !  "  Why  weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest 
thou?''  But,  enveloped  in  the  web  of  her  gloomy  fancies, 
she  hears  in  that  which  was  an  unmingled  promise  only  an 
idle,  if  not  an  insulting  question.  Foolishly,  though  with 
touching  simplicity,  she  replies,  "  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne 
Him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I  will 
take  Him  away."     How  lieart-stirring  this  word  ''Him" 


CHRIST'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE.  49 

is,  as  uttered  by  her.  At  first  she  thinks  it  would  be  super- 
fluous to  mention  His  name.  She  thinks  that  all  the  world 
must  know  of  whom  she  speaks.  She  speaks  of  Him,  the 
only  one  who  fills  her  whole  soul,  and  in  whom  is  bound  up 
all  that  she  thinks  it  worth  while  to  inqnire  for.  ''•  Hast  thou 
home  Him  away .?"  Yes,  Mary,  He  has  done  so.  Oh,  if 
she  ]iad  but  a  surmise  of  this  mystery !  "  Tell  me  luliere 
thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I  loill  take  Him  away'.'  And 
indeed,  had  He  but  told  her,  she  would,  without  calculatinof 
her  strenoth,  have  started  at  once  on  the  errand,  even  thoufrh 
the  spot  named  should  have  been  miles  off.  Had  this  at- 
tachment to  the  person  of  her  Master  been  an  error,  it 
would,  at  this  stage,  have  been  the  Master's  duty  to  have 
rectified  it.  Correcting  her  views.  He  would  have  said, 
"  Mary,  let  the  Man  go  whose  loss  thou  bewailest,  since  thou 
liast  His  promise  to  save  thee,  which  is  all  that  is  necessary." 
But  such  an  expression  never  escaped  His  lips.  He,  on  the 
contrary,  put  the  stamp  of  His  approbation  upon  her  linger- 
ing affection  for  Him ;  for  He  satisfied  it,  and  gave  Himself 
back  to  her  wlio  had  mourned  His  loss. 

What  a  scene  is  now  opening  upon  us  !  The  condescend- 
ing One  can  no  longer  refrain.  His  bowels  of  mercy  yearn. 
He  must  release  the  sobbing  mourner  from  the  prison  of 
her  gloomy  thoughts.  And  in  what  an  inimitably  tender 
manner  does  He  do  this,  the  mode  suiting  itself  to  the  pro- 
foundest  cravings  of  her  heart !  Well,  you  already  know  it. 
He  again  opens  His  gracious  lips,  and  there  issues  from  them 
what  may  well  be  called  the  most  transporting  sound  that 
ever  fell  on  human  ear  and  heart,  and  which  no  mortal  lips 
may  ever  rival  in  sweetness  of  utterance.  It  was  a  word,  an 
utterance,  in  which  the  speaker  expressed  all  His  grace  and 
love.  Yes  !  the  infinite  was  hidden  in  it ;  possibly  it  gives 
us  a  presentiment  of  the  language  of  heaven,  where  speech 
is  the  expression  and  impress  of  perfect  truth  and  harmonj^, 

D 


50  cheist's  fiest  appeaeance. 

and  where  a  world  of  sacred  thoughts  and  blissful  feelings  is 
developed  by  one  word  or  tone.  He  calls  her,  who  stood 
before  Him  dissolved  in  tears,  by  name,  with  that  gracious 
intonation  to  which  her  ear  had  been  accustomed  in  earlier 
days.  In  merely  human  friendly  relations,  how  much  com- 
fort and  encouragement  may  be  thrown  into  the  tones  with 
which  the  closely-allied  address  each  other  by  name,  is  not 
unknown  to  you.  And  in  this  instance  there  was  much  more 
than  a  human  friend !  "  Mary ! "  He  says,  with  uplifted  voice, 
as  though  He  would  fain  say,  "  Thou  richly-blest,  thou  highly- 
favoured  one,  dost  thou  droop  the  head  ?  dost  thou  mourn  ? 
dost  THOU  weejJ  V  But  all  effort  would  be  vain  that  should 
attempt  to  render,  by  any  corresponding  expression,  the 
genial,  cheering  sense,  the  plenitude  of  promise  and  blessed- 
ness involved  in  that  one  word,  "  Mary  !"  It  is  only  in  some 
restricted  measure,  and  but  faintly,  revealed  to  one  susceptible 
of  the  feeling.  In  that  "Mary  !"  pealed  all  the  merry  chimes 
of  Easter-tide  at  once.  All  the  blessedness  that  stands  asso- 
ciated with  the  resurrection  radiates  from  it  upon  us.  The 
word  "  Mary,"  thus  intoned,  floats  through  the  air  far  beyond 
the  disciple  herself,  and  is  indeed  a  congratulation  addressed 
by  the  Divine  Conqueror  over  death  to  His  ineffably-favoured 
Church. 

"  Mary ! "  Joyfully  startled  at  the  sound  of  her  name, 
she  turns  round ;  and  who  stands  before  her  ?  Can  she  be- 
lieve her  eyes  ?  or  does  some  sweet  dream  mock  her  ?  "  Is 
it  Thou?  art  Thou  really  He  V  Yes,  Mary,  it  is  He!  To 
recoo^nise  the  Risen  One,  and  to  fall  at  His  feet  in  adora- 
tion,  is,  on  the  disciple's  part,  the  act  of  one  moment ;  but 
to  express  the  agitated  feelings  which  move  her  heart  at  this 
moment,  she  finds  none  other  than  the  suddenly -extorted 
exclamation,  "  Rabboni !"— that  is,  "My  Lord  and  Master  \" 
Whatever  of  filial  reverence,  of  unreserved  devotion,  of  sacred 
passionate  affection,  and  superhuman  joy  can  enter  into  the 


CHRIST'S  FIEST  APPEARANCE.  51 

poor  human  heart,  is  here  presented  to  us  in  a  co  iressed 
form  by  the  one  word  "  Rabboni ! ''  This  word  E  >oni  is 
an  open  vessel  from  which  exhales  fragrance  like  tl.j  odours 
of  paradise.  It  mirrors  to  us  the  radiant  form  wivli  which 
tlie  love  of  Christ  can  glorify  the  inner  man.  It  i5-  ihe  cry 
of  homage,  of  adoration,  and  of  unconditional  suijjection ; 
but  first,  and  above  all,  a  cry  of  joy  and  rejoicing.  And  how 
well  this  rejoicing  is  warranted  !  For  He  is  alive  again  who 
died  on  the  cross,  an<l  in  His  appearance  Mary  sees — and  we 
do  so  likewise — the  end  of  all  the  cares,  pains,  and  troubles 
of  this  mortal  life.  For  as  His  whole  doctrine,  and  especially 
His  testimony  to  the  superhuman  dignity  of  His  own  per- 
son, now  sliine  for  the  first  time  in  the  full  splendour  of 
divine  confirmation,  so  likewise  it  is  only  now  for  the  first 
time  actually  placed  beyond  all  doubt,  that  He  has  finished 
His  work  of  salvation  to  the  highest  satisfaction  of  His  hea- 
venly Fatlicr, — that  the  latter  has  accepted,  as  fully  justi- 
ficatory, the  ransom  paid  for  us, — that  the  debt  is  paid  for 
all  who  through  faith  become  one  with  Him,  the  second 
Adam,  —  that  riiiliteousness  has  been  wrouo-ht  out, — that 
heaven  has  been  taken  possession  of  for  us, — and  that  the 
world,  death,  the  devil,  and  hell  have  been  finally  and  for  ever 
vanquished.  Yes,  at  Easter  the  redeemed  Church  celebrates 
the  coronation  of  its  Mediator,  Surety,  and  Representative. 
The  apostle  intimates  it  by  his  triumphant  appeal  in  Romans 
viii.  3-i,  "Who  is  he  that  condenmeth ? "  primarily  based 
upon  our  Lord's  death  on  the  cross,  but  supplemented  and 
supported  by  the  sentence,  ''  Yea  rather  who  is  risen  again," 
by  Christ's  resurrection,  the  miracle  of  the  third  day. 

The  disciple,  prostrate,  seems,  in  her  joyous  excitement, 
as  though  about  to  have  embraced  her  Master's  feet.  And 
then  it  was  that  she  received  that  rebuff  which  has  ever  ajD- 
peared  so  mysterious  to  expository — "  Touch  me  not,"  says 
the  Lord,  "for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father."   This 


52  cheist's  fiest  appeaeance. 

saying  will  not  appear  so  difl&cult  if  I — and  the  original  text 
fully  warrants  my  doing  so — change  our  translation,  "  Touch 
me  not,"  into,  "  Do  not  cling  to  me,''  or,  "  Do  not  clasp  me 
tightly."  Thus  our  Lord's  purpose,  in  the  first  place,  is  re- 
stricted to  decline,  in  the  most  tender  manner,  the  exube- 
rance of  human  feeling  with  which  the  disciple  greets  His 
reappearance,  and  to  give  her  to  understand  that  the  pre- 
vious intercourse  of  His  followers  with  Him  would  thence- 
forth have  to  yield  to  one  higher  and  more  spiritual.  He 
tacitly  reminds  her  of  His  own  declaration,  (John  xii.  32,) 
"  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me."  In  the  next  place,  that  the  disciple  should  not 
dream  that  she  had  already  met  her  Lord  and  ]\Iaster  in 
heaven,  and  that  the  mode  of  His  reappearance,  in  which 
she  at  that  moment  rejoiced,  would  be  a  lasting  one.  He 
suggests  that  He  has  not  yet  ascended,  and  that  she  had 
still  a  great  tract  to  traverse  through  the  vale  of  pilgrimage 
ere  faith  would  be  changed  to  sight.  Whether  He  finally 
gave  her  to  understand  that  she  need  not  endeavour  anxi- 
ously to  cling  to  Him,  since  He  did  not  stand  before  her  as 
a  fleeting  vision  from  another  world,  but  that  for  a  while  He 
was  about  to  sojourn  upon  earth,  and  that  He  should  meet 
her  again  here  below, — whether  this  be  the  true  import  of 
the  expression,  may  remain  undecided.  Some  attach  the 
latter  sense  to  His  words,  and  there  may  be  ground  for 
that  opinion.  Mary  was  not  to  be  grieved  by  the  bearing 
which  the  Lord  assumed  with  reference  to  her,  but  only 
brought  back  from  her  excitement  to  clearer,  calmer  self- 
possession  ;  and  hence  the  Lord  adds  to  His  address,  which 
was  of  a  nature  to  calm  her  strong  feelings,  that  comforting 
message,  so  full  of  promise,  and  disclosing,  as  it  does,  such 
glorious  prospects  for  the  future — "  Go  to  mi/  brethren,  and 
say  to  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father, 
to  my  God  and  your  God."  What  a  lalness  of  most  blessed 
meaninof  there  is  in  this  utterance!     His  "brethren!"  He 


Christ's  fikst  appeaeance.  53 

had  never  specially  addressed  them  so  before.  He  first  gives 
them  this  honourable  name  just  as  He  is  about  to  enter  on 
the  inheritance.  Let  us  congratulate  ourselves  upon  this 
circumstance.  But  let  our  mutual  felicitations  be  still 
greater  upon  that  equality  \yitli  Himself,  transcending  our 
boldest  expectations,  with  wliich  He  honours  His  redeemed 
ones  in  the  words,  "  I  ascend  to  my  Father  and  your  Father, 
to  my  God  and  your  God!'  For  what  does  He  thereby  ex- 
press, unless  it  be  that  the  Almighty,  after  Jesus  had  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  our  suit  before  Him,  was,  so  far  as 
affection  and  love  were  concerned,  as  much  our  Father  as 
His.  He  here  repeats  that  which  He  had  already  said  in 
His  prayer  as  High  Priest  to  His  heavenly  Father,  "  Thou 
lovest  them,  as  thou  lovest  me,"  (John  xvii.  23 ;)  and  we 
afterwards  hear  its  echo  in  the  words  of  the  discij^le  who 
lay  on  Jesus'  breast,  ''As  he,"  the  Son  of  His  love,  '■' is,  so 
are  also  we  in  this  luorldj'  It  is,  at  the  same  time,  unmis- 
takably our  Lord's  intention  to  remit  the  disciple  again  to 
the  Church,  and  thereby  to  preserve  her  from  the  thought 
that  she  stood  in  some  extraordinarily  favoured  position  with 
reference  to  Himself ;  therefore  He  sends  her  to  the  "  breth- 
ren," and  says  to  her,  she  being  comprised  with  the  others, 
"  to  your  Father,"  and  "  to  your  God.'"' 

Abundantly  consoled  and  overflowing  with  joy,  Mary 
hastens  from  the  spot  to  execute  her  Lord's  command.  Ere 
she  reached  the  assembled  disciples,  she,  with  a  beaming 
face,  shouts  out  her  most  joyous  message  from  the  distance, 
"/  have  seen  the  Lord,  and  He  has  spoken  to  me."  Your 
Jesus  lives  1  This  sufiices  her,  and  she  is  right,  in  that  she 
allows  herself  to  be  content  with  that  fact.  As  long  as 
there  was  any  doubt  as  to  what  had  become  of  the  corpse, 
the  whole  human  race  had  urgent  cause  to  stand  weeping 
before  the  tomb,  awaiting  in  the  most  intense  excitement 
what  the  third  day  should  bring  forth.  This  day  had  now 
consummah  d  in  ono  event  all  that  was  needed  by  humanity 


54  Christ's  first  appearance. 

for  its  salvation  and  peace  for  time  and  eternity.  The  day 
brought  Him  back  alive  from  the  dead :  it  presented  Him 
to  lis  absolved  of  God  from  all  our  sins ;  Him  crowned  with 
glory  and  honour,  having  representatively  endured  our  curse. 
Easter-day  brought  us,  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  God's 
confirmatory  Yea  and  Amen  to  all  our  Lord's  testimony; 
God's  seal  of  eternal  Son  ship  affixed ;  God's  receipt,  in  full, 
for  the  sum  total  of  the  debt  of  our  race  paid  by  Him ;  the 
declaration  that  both  Head  and  members  were  in  the  highest 
degree  worthy  to  enter  the  Father's  house ;  the  revelation  of 
the  triumph  achieved  over  death  and  over  him  who  has  the 
power  of  death,  even  the  devil ;  the  indubitable  certainty 
that  death  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Prince  of  Life  is  the 
highest  gain ;  and,  finally,  sure  guarantee  that  the  bodies  of 
His  people  are  not  lost  in  their  graves,  but  slumber,  await- 
ing a  glorious  issue  to  life  and  everlasting  glory.  Oh !  what 
unrivalled  and  radiant  hopes  the  resurrection  has  poured 
forth  upon  our  earth ;  it  illumines  with  a  transforming 
heavenly  sunshine  the  darkest  spots,  the  most  sombre  cham- 
bers of  sorrov/,  and  the  blackest  nights  of  care  in  the  vale  of 
our  pilgrimage.  Brother,  does  it  beam  on  thee  ?  or  do  the 
dark  clouds  of  doubt  still  envelope  thee  ?  Oh,  that  thou 
mightest  inquire  after  Him  with  the  passionate  longing  of 
Mary  Magdalene ;  then,  indeed,  He  would  ere  long  call  thee 
also  by  name,  and  thou  shouldest  stammer  forth  in  ecstasy 
and  homage  thy  ''  Eabboni."  May  God's  grace  bring  this  to 
pass,  and  may  we,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  and 
all,  presently  be  enabled  to  make  that  hymn  to  the  Lord  of 
the  resurrection  our  own — 

"  Jesus  my  Redeemer  lives  ! 

Christ  my  trust  is  dead  no  more ; 
In  the  streijgth  this  knowledge  gives, 

Shall  not  all  my  fears  be  o'er  ? 
Calm,  though  death's  long  night  be  fraught 
Still  with  many  an  anxious  thought. 


THE  RISEN  ONE  APPEARS  TO  THE  WOMEN,  ETC.  55 


V. 

THE  EISEN  ONE  APPEARS  TO  THE  WOMEN  AND 
TO  SIMON. 

The  apostle  Paul  having  just  exhorted  his  companion  and 
helper  Timothy  to  arm  himself  for  the  fight  against  the 
hostile  powers  of  the  world,  and  having  encouraged  him  to 
endure  the  cross  perse veringly,  has  exhausted  the  subject, 
exclaiming,  in  the  well-known  passage  in  2  Tim.  ii.  8,  "  Re- 
memher  that  Jesus  Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead."  He 
seeks  to  impress  him  with  an  image  that  shall  permanently 
stand  in  the  foreground  of  his  soid,  presenting  itself  ever 
clearly  defined  there.  The  figure  is  that  of  the  Lord  Jesus ; 
in  fact,  tlie  radiant  form  of  the  risen  Saviour.  With  refer- 
ence to  this,  the  apostle  held  that  the  direct  contemplation 
of  this  victor  form  upon  every  field  of  battle  would  lead  his 
beloved  f liend  to  speedv  and  certain  triumj^li.  He  held  such 
an  anticipation  to  be  justified  by  his  own  experience.  Hear 
him,  immediately  after  the  above-quoted  passage,  declare  that 
"  he  suffered  for  the  gospel  of  the  risen  One  even  unto  bonds;" 
and  from  how  many  other  passages  in  his  epistles  does  it  un- 
equivocally appear  that  a  lively  remembrance  of  Him  who 
was  dead,  and  is  alive  again,  proved  to  the  apostle  an  inex- 
haustible source  of  energy,  courage,  and  peace.  Paul  felt 
sure  that  Timothy's  experience  would,  provided  he  followed 
his  advice,  be  coincident  with  his  own.  From  the  contem- 
plation of  the  risen  Saviour  by  the  enlightened  mind,  there 


56  THE  EISEN  ONE  APPEAES 

arises  a  blissful  and  fortifying  influence  which  nothing  else 
can  supply.  That  so  many  amongst  us.,  in  the  struggles  of 
life,  but  too  readily  despair  and  succumb,  is  solely  attribut- 
able to  the  fact  that  the  risen  Saviour  has  not  yet  presented 
Himself  to  them  in  the  right  light,  or  that  they  do  not  know- 
how  to  retain  Him  fixedly  and  steadily  in  view.  If  we,  who 
minister  in  the  Word,  would  shew  ourselves  "  helpers  of  the 
joy''  of  our  congregations,  let  us  preach  to  them  the  miracle 
of  the  resurrection.  What  could  I  desire  more  than  to 
succeed,  by  these  our  Easter  meditations,  in  imprinting  upon 
your  minds  and  hearts,  in  ardent  characters  of  love,  and  -that 
indelibly,  the  sublime  form  of  Him  v/ho  vanquished  sin, 
death,  and  hell !  May  He  in  mercy  grant  it,  who  alone  has 
the  power  to  do  so,  whom  we  are  about  to  see  reward  the 
fidehty  of  those  elect  women,  who,  to  the  disgrace  of  the 
men,  remained  His  stanch  adherents,  without  wavering, 
previous  to  the  time  of  His  resurrection,  up  to  His  latest 
breath,  in  sj)ite  of  contumely,  and  at  the  peril  of  their  lives. 

Matt,  xxviii.  9,  10 ;  Luke  xxiv.  34. 
"  And  as  they  went  to  tell  his  disciples,  behold,  Jesus  met  them,  saying, 
All  hail !  And  they  came  and  held  him  by  the  feet,  and  worshipped  him. 
Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  Be  not  afraid :  go  tell  my  brethren  that  they 
go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me."  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  Simon." 

**  Ye  blissful  forty  days 

To  me  are  forty  years ; 
In  them,  0  my  Saviour, 

I  silence  all  my  fears. 
Henceforth  be  my  heart's  employment, 
All  absorb'd  in  Thy  enjoyment." 

Thus  sang  a  pious  poet.  From  the  depths  of  our  soul  we 
join  in  with  the  sentiment.  The  forty  days  are  to  us  the 
light  of  a  new  and  glorious  world.  And  God  be  praised, 
that  the  end  of  the  world  v/as  not  coincident  with  that  of 
those  days  :  it  exists  to  this  hour  !     That  which  we  here  see 


TO  THE  WO.AIEN  AND  TO  SIMON.  57 

befall  the  women,  and  then  Peter,  equally  happens  to  believers 
still.  Let  us  dwell  on  this  topic  for  a  while,  and  consider, 
first,  the  meeting  luith  the  female  disciples,  and  then  that 
with  Simon.  May  the  Lord  vouchsafe  us,  in  the  course  of 
our  meditation,  a  simikxr  revelation  to  that  with  which  they 
were  favoured  ! 

I  The  women  to  whom  our  attention  is  first  directed  are 
ah^eady  known  to  us.  We  also  know  where  they  went  at 
early  dawn.  They  had  been  to  the  tomb  of  their  souls' 
Friend  ;  and  with  what  joyous  excitement  and  with  what  a 
message  had  they  just  returned!  They  have  to  report,  not 
upon  human  testimony,  but  from  the  lips  of  holy  angels, 
nothing  less  than  this — that  the  omnipotent  voice  of  the 
living  God,  and  not  the  hand  of  enemies,  as  they  had  feared, 
had  burst  their  Master's  tomb  ;  and  that  He  who  was  dead, 
having  raised  Himself  triumphantly  out  of  the  dust,  is  alive 
auain.  However,  they  feel  so  much  astonishment  in  this 
great  matter,  that  they  are  constrained  to  ask  themselves 
again  and  again  whether  they  merely  dream,  or  be  really 
awake.  Just  like  the  apostle  in  the  Gospel,  who,  walking 
upon  the  foaming  billows,  reeled,  and  began  to  sink,  so  was 
it  with  their  faith.  "  Oh  that  He  would  but  present  Himself 
but  once  to  us,'"'  say  they,  "  and  all  doubt  would  be  dissi- 
pated!" And  as  they  are  thus  thinking,  what  happens? 
Suddenly  a  friendly  greeting,  with  no  ordinary  intonation, 
is  addressed  to  them.  Startled,  they  turn  round,  and — oh 
the  astonishment ! — there  He  stands  before  their  eyes  ; — yes, 
He  himself,  all  radiant  with  circumambient  glory !  They 
fall  prostrate  at  His  feet  in  adoration;  inward  aniaz  ent 
holds  the  balance  between  transport  and  joy.  How  could  it 
be  otherwise  ?  What  an  exalted  personage  have  they  before 
them  now  in  the  Risen  One !  He  no  longer  represents  a 
divinely- accredited  prophet  announcing  God's  judgments, 
nor  the  mere  Saviour  of  sinners,  who,  after  His  work  had 


58  THE  RISEN  ONE  APPEAES 

been  perfectly  finished,  was  crowned  by  His  Father  with 
glory  and  honour, — but  in  the  character  and  glory  of  Him 
who  was  at  once  manifested  as  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the 
living  God,  and  actually  the  King  of  glory  exalted  to  the 
throne  of  the  universe.  Is  it,  therefore,  any  marvel  that  the 
first  impression  which  His  reappearance  created  in  them 
was  an  almost  bewildering  and  prostrating  one  ?  The  Lord, 
however,  hastens  to  reassure  their  agitation.  And  how  does 
He  calm  their  minds  ?  Does  He  endeavour  in  some  way  to 
lower  the  tone  of  their  conceptions  of  the  superhuman  dignity 
of  His  person,  and  of  the  unbounded  importance  of  His  re- 
surrection, as  too  bold  and  unmeasured  ?  No  !  far  from 
that.  He  knew  Himself,  with  the  most  perfect  distinctness, 
to  be  not  only  the  Person  whose  whole  doctrine  was  authen- 
ticated by  the  seal  of  the  Most  High  confirming  it  with  a 
world-wide  splendour,  and  whose  work  of  salvation  was  rati- 
fied to  endless  ages  by  the  Amen  from  above ;  but  to  be 
Him  whom  the  heavenly  Father  had  adorned,  in  the  face  of 
heaven,  earth,  and  hell,  with  a  diadem  as  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,  and  whom  He  had,  in  the  most  solemn  man- 
ner, proclaimed  and  placed  before  the  sight  of  a  redeemed 
world  as  the  conqueror  of  sin,  death,  and  the  devil.  Accord- 
ingly He  does  not  forbid  the  women  to  render  the  worship 
which  they  offer  Him,  though  He  controls  the  anxious 
tremor  which  His  presence  and  mnjesty  impose.  "  Fear 
not!"  says  He  to  them.  That  "Fear  not!"  which  first 
resounded  at  His  birth  from  angel  lips,  received  at  this 
moment  its  first  full  confirmation.  Why  should  they  fear 
any  longer,  now  that  the  crowned  Head  of  all  principalities 
and  powers  is,  at  the  same  time,  the  Saviour  of  sinners; 
and  that  the  glory  awarded  Him  was  so  less  as  to  the  eter- 
nal Son  than  in  a  special  and  more  peculiar  manner  to  the 
Son  of  man,  who  interposed  in  our  stead,  and  acquired  the 
full  right  to  lead  the  people  whom  He  had  redeemed  with 


TO  THE  WOMEN  AND  TO  SIMON.  59 

His  blood,  ever  henceforth  wielding  over  them  the  sceptre  of 
grace  and  condescension? 

It  may  seem  remarkable  that  our  Lord,  on  this  occasion, 
permits  the  women  to  do  that  which,  with  His  "  Touch  me 
not !"  He  had  forbidden  to  Mary  Magdalene.  But  He  is  "the 
Searcher  of  hearts,"  and  weighs  the  mind  and  disposition 
in  His  own  balances.  The  feelings  with  which  the  women 
in  the  place  cited  from  the  Gospel  before  us  fall  before  Him, 
were  diflferent  from  those  by  which  Mary  Magdalene  was 
moved  when  she  addressed  Him.  Theirs  were  feelings  of 
the  most  reverential  worship  demonstrated  before  the  face  of 
the  glorified  God-man ;  whilst  Mary's  feelings  were  those  of 
passionate  joy  at  the  human  reappearance  of  her  Saviour  and 
Protector.  ]\Iary  needed,  therefore,  an  elevation  to  higher 
spiritual  views  of  the  future  relation  of  the  redeemed  to  their 
glorified  Mediator ;  whilst  these  needed,  above  everything, 
a  confirmation  that  they  really  saw  in  Him  the  same  Lord 
and  Master  bodily  before  them  whom  they  had  carried  to 
the  sepulchre  three  days  previously,  and  not  an  appearance 
from  another  world.  Such  tender  consideration  is  vouch- 
safed by  the  Lord  to  His  people  with  reference  to  their 
peculiar  idiosyncrasies ;  He  does  not  rule  them  by  any  rigid 
plan,  but  tempers  His  dealings  by  a  regard  to  their  peculiar 
dispositions  and  their  most  inward  necessities.  Hence  the 
great  variety  in  the  leadings  of  His  providence  with  be- 
lievers, whilst  their  inward  principle  is  one  and  the  same. 
He,  however,  brings  them  all,  though  each  one  by  a  different 
path,  through  a  course  of  humiliation,  of  inward  mortifica- 
tion, and  of  continuous  growth  in  Him  who  is  the  Head. 
To  this  the  apostle  Paul  refers  in  Eph.  iii.  10,  where  he 
speaks  of  "  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God  being  made  known 
to  the  churchy 

Our  Lord  connects  with  His  encouraging  address,  "Be 
not  afraid,"  the  commission,  "  Go  tell  my  brethren,  that  they 


60  THE  EISEN  ONE  APPEARS 

go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me."  A  glorious 
mission  which  He  confided  to  them  !  Whilst  some  will 
think,  "  Alas !  but  to  whom  was  the  post  of  ambassador 
committed?"  But  this  hypocritical  "  Alas  !  "  condemns  the 
man  who  utters  it,  for  it  shews  him  to  be  but  a  pitiable 
victim  of  the  evil  spirit  of  unbelief,  which  governs  and  fetters 
our  self-deluded  age.  For  has  it  to-da}^  ceased  to  be  an 
historical  fact,  that  One  came,  who  nailed  our  bond  with  its 
obligations  to  the  cross,  who  disarmed  death  for  us,  and 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  ?  I  may  almost  say 
that  it  is  more  so  now  than  it  formerly  was,  since  it  has 
been  maintained  eighteen  hundred  years  in  the  experience 
of  the  best  and  noblest  of  the  sons  of  earth,  and  has 
thoroughly  vanquished  all  the  cavils  of  sophistical  philo- 
sophy. But  what  prevents  us  fromi  appropriating  to  our- 
selves the  blessed  message  which  the  women  were  to  publish  ? 
Nothing  but  a  wretched  and  wholly  inexcusable  •unbeliefs 
by  which  we  wilfully  rob  ourselves  of  precious  treasure. 
But,  God  be  praised,  we  have  not  all  done  so.  On  the 
contrary,  there  are  not  a  few  amongst  us  who,  by  the  Lord's 
mercy,  can  utter  with  full  emphasis  that  passage  of  the  poet — 

"  Oh,  into  every  highway  haste 
To  call  the  wanderers  home  ; 
With  outstretch'd  hand  and  joyous  voice 
Invite  them  all  to  come. 

"  For  now  'tis  heaven  on  earth  with  us, 
Bid  sinners  all  draw  near ; 
And  if  they  will  with  us  believe, 
A  welcome  waits  them  here." 

The  women,  in  a  joyous  transport,  promptly  hasten  to  exe- 
cute the  delightful  command  of  their  risen  ]\Iaster.  Indeed, 
they  have  little  more  to  announce  to  the  disciples  than  the 
authentic,  joyous  intelligence  that  the  Lord  is  really  risen 
from  the  dead.     Tliey  were  sensible  of  the  high  and  blissful 


TO  THE  WOMEN  AND  TO  SIMON.  61 

importance  of  His  resurrection,  but  their  conceptions  of  it 
were  confused  and  unsettled.  It  was  not  until  after  Pente- 
cost that  clearness  and  light  came  to  their  relief,  and  raised 
their  twilight  to  bright  broad  day.  How  many  are  there 
who  now  live  in  a  frame  of  mind  analogous  to  that  of  the 
women  at  this  time.  A  lively  anticipation  of  the  exaltation 
of  Christ,  of  the  blessedness  of  a  life  in  communion  with 
Him,  pervades  their  hearts,  whilst  they  do  not  definitely 
and  clearly  realise  what  is  involved  in  their  relation  to  Him. 
This  was  at  first  to  them  like  an  object  but  faintly  seen  in 
the  distance.  Their  state  may,  at  least  in  some  respects,  be 
compared  with  that  which  befell  Paul,  when,  near  Damascus, 
the  light  from  heaven  shone  round  about  him,  and  the  Lord 
first  appeared  to  him  in  glory,  but  at  a  distance.  They 
need  that  something  similar  betide  them,  which  subsequently 
occurred  to  the  same  apostle,  when,  upon  Ananias  laying 
his  hands  upon  his  eyes,  the  scales  fell  from  them,  and  he 
then,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  saw  clearly  in  every  direc- 
tion what  a  fulness  of  salvation  and  life  was  treasured  up  in 
Christ. 

It  is  easy  to  divine  what  motive  determined  the  Risen 
One  to  assign  Galilee  as  a  rendezvous  for  His  disciples,  and 
as  the  tlieatre  upon  which  He  purposed  still  further  to 
reveal  Himself.  Irrespective  of  the  fact  that  Galilee  was 
the  land  of-  His  youth,  whilst  Judea  was  only  that  of  His 
nativity,  Galilee  remained,  in  a  peculiar  and  nearer  sense. 
His  native  country,  for  He  had  found  greater  susceptibility 
for  the  reception  of  the  salvation  which  He  brought  amongst 
the  Galileans,  (a  frequently  misjudged  people,  and  who,  on 
account  of  their  being  a  more  mixed  race,  and  their  greater 
intercourse  with  foreigners,  were  esteemed  a  nation  of 
heretics,)  than  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  Judea,  wholly 
under  the  influence  of  Pharisees  and  scribes.  With  the 
exception  of  those  occasions  on  which  He  went  up  to  Jeru- 


62  THE  EISEN  ONE  APPEAES 

salem  to  the  feasts,  Christ  had  restricted  both  His  teaching 
and  His  miracles  to  Galilee  ;  and  as  His  twelve  apostles  were 
all  Galileans,  so  likewise  were  the  great  majority  of  His 
other  disciples.  What  wonder,  therefore,  that  He  likewise 
selected  Galilee  for  the  site  of  the  celebration  of  His  great 
victory,  and  that  He  thereby  practically  confirmed  the  sub- 
sequent dictum  of  His  apostle,  "that  base  things  of  the 
world  hath  God  chosen,"  (1  Cor.  i.  28.) 

II.  It  would  seem  that  the  joyous  message  delivered  by 
the  women  proved  inadequate  thoroughly  to  convince  the 
disciples  of  the  reality  of  the  resurrection.  For  when  they, 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  great  day,  were  hailed  by  the  two 
disciples  who  had  been  to  Emmaus,  with  the  jubilant  ex- 
clamation, "The  Lord  is  risen  indeed!"  they  appealed  for 
the  truth  of  the  joyful  news,  not  to  the  testimony  of  the 
women,  but  only  to  that  of  Peter.  "He  has  appeared  to 
Peter,"  said  they.  What  was  it,  however,  that  inclined 
them  to  attach  such  great  credit  to  Peter's  evidence  ?  For 
this  brother  had  not  hitherto  given  any  extraordinary  proofs 
of  discretion,  moderation,  and  keenness  of  judgment.  But 
they  had  seen  him  in  poignant  grief  and  contrition  at  his 
fall,  and  knew  that  he  would  then  accept  consolation  from 
no  quarter ;  but  that  now  he  was  suddenly  the  subject  of 
consolation  so  powerful  that  it  found  expression  in  his 
countenance,  which  beamed  with  joy, — the  only  assigned 
cause  for  the  change  being,  as  he  assured  them,  the  fact  that 
the  Lord  had  appeared  to  him,  and  had  Himself  pardoned 
his  offence,  after  which  they  had  no  longer  any  reason  to 
doubt  of  it.  His  eyes  sparkling  with  joy  vouched  to  them 
the  truth  that  the  Lord  is  alive  again ;  for  it  would  have 
been  utterly  inconceivable  by  them  that  Peter  could  have 
allowed  himself  to  be  comforted  and  set  at  ease  by  any  mere 
phantom,  or  by  any  illusory  appearance. 

The  Gospel  does  not  tell  us  when  or  where  the  Lord  ap- 


TO  THE  WOMEN  AND  TO  SIMON.  63 

peared  to  Peter  on  the  day  of  His  resurrection.  It  is  known 
with  what  tender  precaution  the  Kisen  One  had  by  the  angel 
instructed  the  women,  when  at  the  empty  sepulchre,  to 
notify  to  Peter  that  his  Master  was  alive  again,  before  they 
did  so  to  the  others, — whence  the  disciple  might  draw  the 
comfortable  conclusion  that  the  Lord  was  again  kindly  dis- 
posed to  him  ;  and  the  apostle  was  now  at  least  so  prepared 
for  a  personal  interview  with  the  Risen  One,  that,  whenever 
it  actually  took  place,  it  could  no  longer  overwhelm  him 
with  stupifying  and  prostrating  amazement.  We  have  al- 
ready seen  him,  much  more  terrified  than  cheered  by  Mary 
Magdalene's  notification,  hurry  away  to  Joseph's  garden,  but 
there  again,  sorely  disappointed,  return  from  it  to  Jerusa- 
lem. And  he  may  possibly  just  have  arrived  there  when 
the  other  female  disciples  appeared,  and  delivered  their  mes- 
sage. Now,  I  imagine  that  Peter  may  have  again  started 
on  the  road  to  the  holy  sepulchre,  and  that  it  was  on  this 
second  journey  that  the  Lord  revealed  Himself  to  him. 

How  willingly  would  we  have  the  veil  raised  from  this 
appearance  of  the  risen  Saviour !  But  scenes  transj^ire  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,  the  exceedingly  tender,  sacred,  and 
heavenly  nature  of  which  wholly  defy  representation  or  com- 
munication ;  nay,  which  cannot  be  laid  bare  to  vulgar,  mor- 
tal sight,  without  actually  damaging  to  some  extent  the 
glorious  enamel,  as  it  were,  with  which  they  are  covered. 
The  first  meeting  of  our  Lord  with  His  intensely  grieved 
and  contrite  Peter  must  have  been  a  scene  of  this  kind.  Let 
us,  therefore,  not  presume  to  attempt  a  description  of  it. 
If  He  do  not  Himself  narrate  it  to  us,  the  angels,  who  wit- 
nessed it  with  emotion,  will  one  day  do  so  in  heaven.  Suf- 
fice it,  the  Prince  of  Peace  has,  with  ineffable  kindness, 
wiped  away  the  tears  from  the  eyes  of  His  deeply  agitated 
disciple  lying  there  before  Him  in  the  dust,  and  has  hailed 
hill),  no  less  solemnly  than  condescendingly,  with  His  resur- 


64  THE  EISEN  ONE  APPEARS 

rection  (Easter)  benediction,  "  Peace  be  unto  you  ! "  and  that 
with  an  intonation  which  still  echoes  blissfully  in  the  dis- 
ciple*s  soul  to  this  hour,  Peter  rose,  from  that  most  glorious 
moment  of  his  earthly  existence,  as  if  born  anew,  or  rather 
as  if  raised  from  death  to  life.  It  must  remain  an  unsettled 
point,  whether  he  were  at  that  time  fully  and  clearly  in- 
formed U23on  what  ground  the  Lord  had  granted  him  abso- 
lute forgiveness.  But  he  implicitly  confided  in  the  simple 
assurance  of  lips  from  which  a  falsehood  had  never  pro- 
ceeded. And  although  the  mysterious  connexion  between 
his  Master's  absolution  and  His  bloody  passion  had  not  been 
fully  manifested  to  him,  since  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  not 
yet  arrived,  he  knew,  nevertheless,  that  he  had  received  mercy, 
that  he  wns  pardoned.  But  when  he  subsequently  wrote  his 
epistle,  the  groimd  of  his  final  justification  before  God  was 
no  longer  a  mystery  to  him.  Por  then  he  could  with  full 
utterance  announce  to  the  brethren,  "  Ye  are  redeemed,  not 
with  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and 
without  spot."  "  Christ,"  he  declared,  "  has  himself  borne 
our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  who  are  dead 
to  sin,  should  live  to  righteousness.  By  his  wounds  ye  are 
healed."  Prom  this  moment  the  full  importance  of  the  re- 
surrection of  Jesus,  in  every  point  of  view,  was  disclosed  to 
him,  "  Through  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ," 
he  writes,  "  God  has  of  his  abundant  mercy  begotten  us  again 
unto  a  lively  hope ;"  and  he  indicates  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  as  ihe  foundation  for  "  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science towards  God,"  Now,  it  was  clear  to  him,  and  he 
was  perfectly  conscious  of  the  fact,  that  the  Mediator  having 
been  raised  by  the  Father,  he,  the  sinner,  was  proved  to  be 
justified,  Christ  having  voluntarily  assumed  his  sins,— that 
Jesus  had  received  solomn  testimony  from  His  Pather  that 
His  priestly,  vicarious  work  was  perfectly  finished,  approved, 


TO  THE  WOMEN  AND  TO  SIMON.  65 

and  accepted  by  Him.  Beyond  all  question  it  was  now  valid 
for  Peter,  since  the  justification  of  the  Surety  extended  to 
the  whole  body  of  the  redeemed,  for  it  was  their  debts  which 
He,  on  their  behalf,  had  paid,  and  their  sins  which  He  ex- 
piated, and  for  which  He  gave  satisfaction  to  the  Majesty  on 

high. 

The  resurrection  of  the  Lord  is  but  seldom  estimated  now- 
a-days  by  Christians  as  of  this  high  importance,  although 
God's  Word  distinctly  attaches  to  it  the  very  greatest  weight. 
Paul,  for  example,  when  he  triumphantly  exclaims,  "  Who  is 
he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died  ;"  then  imme- 
diately adds,  wdth  great  emphasis,  "  yea  rather,  that  is  risen 
again!'  And  it  will  no  longer  appear  enigmatical  to  us  why 
he  so  specially  rej^oses  his  consciousness  of  not  being  ob- 
noxious to  condemnation  upon  Christ's  resurrection.  The 
acquittance,  if  I  may  so  speak,  which  the  Almiglity  granted 
by  the  resurrection  to  the  Son  as  to  the  debts  discharged  by 
Him,  was  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  apostle,  as  it  likewise  was 
to  that  of  all  those  who  through  faith  should  become  one  with 
the  Son,  this  second  Adam.  The  payment  itself,  indeed,  was 
made  upon  the  cross,  but  the  actual  declaration  that  it  was 
acknowledged  as  perfectly  valid  and  accepted  on  the  Most 
High,  this  was  first  shewn  to  a  sinful  world  on  Easter-day. 
It  is  said  in  Scripture  that  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  and 
rose  again  for  our  justification," — (that  is  to  say,  as  a  proof 
that  God  has  acquitted  us  of  our  debt,  and  beholds  us  as 
righteous  in  Him.) 

Oh,  let  not,  then,  this  strong  consolation  of  the  resurrec- 
tion be  to  any  one  of  us  like  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field,  as 
is,  alas !  the  case  with  so  many  at  this  time,  and  seems  likely 
to  continue  so.  The  way  to  the  attainment  of  the  incom- 
parable peace-inspiring  treasure,  is  the  same  which  Peter 
trod.  In  the  first  place,  we  tread  that  way  when  we  get  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  our  natural  alienation  from  God : 


66  THE  RISEN  ONE  APPEAES  TO  THE  WOMEN,  ETC. 

we  tread  that  way  when  we  absolutely  condemn  self ;  we 
tread  that  way  when  we  feel  utterly  ashamed  of  all  our  self- 
righteousness.  If  we  once  travel  on  that  road  which  leads 
to  utter  repudiation  of  self,  then  a  mere  general  notion  that 
we  may  reckon  on  God's  grace,  exhibited  for  Christ's  sake, 
will  prove  insufficient  to  give  us  peace.  We  inquire  upon 
what  grounds  the  expectation  rests,  and  shall  most  certainly 
not  declare  ourselves  satisfied,  until  we  have  both  document 
and  seal  to  shew  that  our  heavenly  Advocate  has  triumph- 
antly carried  our  suit  before  that  throne  whose  foundations 
are  justice  and  judgment.  But  His  glorious  resurrection 
gives  us  this  guarantee.  The  apostle  says,  ''  If  Christ  be 
not  raised,  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins."  What  is  deducible 
from  this?  Nothing  less  than  that,  since  He  is  risen,  we, 
provided  we  may  assume  that  we  are  numbered  amongst  His 
people,  are,  with  reference  to  the  tribunal  of  God,  free,  and 
discharged  from  our  sins.  What  a  disclosure  is  this  !  The 
Lord  give  it  a  living  and  clear  echo  in  our  hearts,  and  help 
us  with  the  whole  heart  to  imite  in  the  old  Easter- song  of 
the  Church : — 

"  Christ  the  Lord  is  risen  again  ! 
Christ  hath  broken  every  chain  ! 
Hai'k  !  the  angels  shout  for  joy. 
Singing  evermore  on  high, 

Hallekijah ! 

"  He  who  skimber'd  in  the  grave 
Is  exalted  now  to  save ; 
Now  through  Christendom  it  rings 
That  the  Lamb  is  King  of  kings  ! 
Hallelujah ! 

"  Now  He  bids  us  tell  abroad 
How  the  lost  may  be  restored, 
How  the  penitent  forgiven. 
How  we  too  may  enter  heaven. 
Hallelujah ! " 

Lyra  Germanica. 


THE  DltSCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  C7 


VL 

THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

FIEST  MEDITATION. 

"  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye  see !  for 
I  tell  you,  tha*  many  prophets  and  kings  have  desired  to  see 
those  things  which  ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them ;  and  to 
hear  those  things  wliicli  ye  hear,  and  have  not  heard  them." 
This  saying  of  our  Lord  (Luke  x.  23,  24)  is  well  known  to 
you.  May  its  apjolication,  in  the  whole  breadth  of  its  mean- 
ing, be  realised  by  all  of  you !  Nevertheless,  how  many 
born  in  Christendom  know  as  yet  nothing  of  the  new  glo- 
rious kingdom,  which  is  erected  by  God's  grace  within  the 
old  one  !  Separated  from  the  other,  as  it  were,  by  a  wall 
as  high  as  heaven,  they  still  live  in  this  one  as  they  pre- 
viously did,  as  if  every  other  were  but  a  dream,  and  though 
delightful,  yet  the  offspring  of  delusion.  They  make  their 
way  through  the  gloom  of  the  valley  of  tears,  having  the 
fetters  of  a  worldly  spirit  riveted  upon  them,  "  nay,  sold 
under  sin,"  and  "  through  fear  of  death  they  remain  all 
their  lives  long  subject  to  bondage;"  whilst  others,  their 
immediate  neighbours,  as  children  of  God,  and  freemen, 
journey  through  life  with  blissful  hopes,  and  in  sunshine, 
and  exultingly  triumph  over  death,  the  devil,  and  every 
other  hostile  power,  as  over  enemies  beaten  and  for  ever 
disarmed.     Does  a  world  really  exist  where  such  a  triumph 


68  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

would  be  authorised,  and  is  it,  not  a  beautiful  land  of 
dreams,  but  an  actual  and  permanent  abode?  But  who 
needs  still  to  propose  such  a  question  as  this  ?  The  passage 
upon  which  we  are  just  about  to  meditate,  excellent  beyond 
all  comparison,  will  so  elevate  you,  that,  looking  over  the 
wall  of  partition,  you  may  have  a  glimpse  of  the  brighter  world 
beyond,  and  it  will,  at  the  same  time,  should  you  desire  it, 
point  out  the  safe  way  by  which  you  yourself  may  arrive 
there. 

Luke  xxiv.  13-35. 

"And,  behold,  two  of  them  went  that  same  day  to   a  village  called 

Emmaus,   which  was  from  Jerusalem  about  threescore   furlongs.      And 

they  talked  together  of  all  these  things  which  had  happened.     And  it 

came  to  pass,  that,  while  they  communed  together  and  reasoned,  Jesus 

himself  drew  near,  and  went  with  them.     But  their  eyes  were  holden  that 

they  shovild  not  know  him.      And  he  said  unto  them.  What  manner  of 

communications  are  these  that  ye  have  one  to  another,  as  ye  walk,  and 

are  sad  ?     And  the  one  of  them,  whose  name  was  Cleopas,  answering  said 

unto  him,  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  hast  not  known  the 

things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days  ?     And  he  said  unto 

them,  \Yhat   things?      And  they  said   unto   him,   Concerning   Jesus  of 

Nazareth,  which  was  a  prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and 

all  the  people  ;  and  how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  him  to  be 

condemned  to  death,  and  have  crucified  him.     Bat  we  trusted  that  it  had 

been  he  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel ;  and  beside  all  this,  to-day  is 

the  third  day  since  these  things  were  done.     Yea,  and  certain  women  also 

of  our  company  made  \is  astonished,  which  were  early  at  the  sepulchre : 

and  when  they  found  not  his  body,  they  came,  saying,  that  they  had  also 

seen  a  vision  of  angels,  which  said  that  he  was  alive.      And  certain  of 

them  which  were  with  us  went  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  it  even  so  as 

the  women  had  said  :  but  him  they  saw  not.     Then  he  said  unto  them, 

O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken : 

ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory? 

And  beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets,  he  expounded  tmto  them  in 

all  the  scriptures  the  things  concerning  himself.      And  they  drew  nigh 

unto  the  village,  whither  they  went :  and  he  made  as  though  he  would 

have  gone  further.     But  they  constrained  him,  saying,  Abide  with  us ;  for 

it  is  toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent.     And  he  went  in  to  tarry 

witli  them.     And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  he  took 

bread,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.     And  their  eyes  were 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  69 

opened,  and  they  knew  him;  and  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And 
they  said  one  to  another,  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us,  while  he 
talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  scriptures? 
And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  found 
the  eleven  gathered  together,  and  them  that  were  with  them,  saying,  The 
Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  And  they  told  what 
things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was  known  of  them  in  breaking 
of  bread." 

Without  this  gospel,  no  Easter !  But  like  nature  in  re- 
turning spring  ever  renewing  itself,  and  like  the  starry  vault 
of  heaven,  which  discloses  fresh  splendour  to  the  eye  that 
continues  to  gaze  on  it,  so  this  passage  of  Scripture  is  sug- 
gestive of  fresh  and  varied  thought.  The  fragrance  of  inward 
truth  which  exhales  to  us  from  it,  by  which  it  interests  us  so 
delightfully,  and  operates  upon  us  with  such  wonderful  benefit, 
is  an  antidote  to  every  enfeebling  doubt ;  above  all,  we  are 
struck  with  the  clear  view  it  grants  us  of  the  new  spiritual  world 
which  Christ  has  i:)lanted  in  the  old  world  of  death,  and  the 
distinctness  with  which  it  lays  open  the  way  by  which  we  may 
see  an  entrance  possible  for  ourselves  into  this  world  of  peace. 
Let  us  take  this  pleasing  narrative  into  closer  consideration, 
and  let  us,  in  spirit,  accompany  the  two  disciples  in  their 
blessed  journey.  At  first  they  appear  to  us  involved  in  a 
night  which,  if  Easter-day  had  not  risen,  would  have  en- 
shrouded us  all;  we  then  find  them  in  the  daiun  of  ti^ansi- 
tionfrom  this  starless  darkness  into  the  bright  lovely  scenes 
of  Easter ;  and,  finally,  in  the  full  noontide  sj^lendour  of 
the  Easter  Sun.  Every  one  of  us  may  see  himself,  and  the 
reflected  image  of  his  own  inward  state,  in  the  two  disciples, 
at  one  stage  or  other  of  their  journey.  May  the  last  stage 
we  have  indicated  be  the  lot  of  all  of  us,  and  then  what  hap- 
piness will  be  ours ! 

Our  narrative  transports  us  to  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of 
tlie  resurrection.  We  are  at  Jerusalem.  The  city  is  in  great 
commotion.    Priests  and  scribes  are  hastening:  from  house  to 


70  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

house,  to  give  consistency  to  the  report  that  the  disciples  of 
the  crucified  Galilean  had,  during  the  last  night,  secretly 
broken  into  Joseph's  garden,  and  whilst  the  guard  slept  had 
stolen  their  Master's  corpse,  and  concealed  it  in  some  un- 
known place.  The  small  body  of  disciples  of  the  Crucified, 
dispersed  by  the  horrors  and  terrors  of  the  blood-stained 
Friday,  are  reassembled,  but  in  small  desponding  groups. 
We  meet  them  just  as  they  are  excited  to  the  utmost  by  the 
declaration  of  the  women,  who  insist  that  they  have  seen  a 
vision  of  angels,  and  to  crown  that,  they  protest  that  they 
have  even  been  favoured  with  an  interview  with  their  Risen 
Master.  This  intelligence  has  produced  upon  them  rather  a 
jDassing  amazement  than  any  real  comfort  and  tranquillity. 
They  ascribe  this  consoling  communication  to  the  excited 
fancy  of  their  credulous  sisters,  and  even  the  hearts  of  the 
more  susceptible  among  them  oscillate  between  deep  gloom 
and  faint  trembling  hope.  Some  of  them,  and  Thomas  is  of 
this  number,  have,  with  perfect  resignation,  retired  into  soli- 
tude. The  two  with  whom  we  are  now  engaged,  and  who, 
doubtless,  are  numbered  amongst  the  seventy,  are  just  about 
to  do  the  same.  Prostrated,  and  wxll  nigh  in  despair,  be- 
cause they  consider  themselves  to  have  made  shipwreck  of 
all  their  hopes  for  time  and  for  eternity,  they  return  to  their 
homes  in  the  village  of  Emmaus,  in  order  to  prosecute  their 
usual  avocations  as  soon  as  their  spirits  would  permit  them. 
But  why  in  such  haste?  Why  not  first  i3ut  the  women's 
declaration  to  the  test  ?  Why  is  the  circumstance,  that  the 
linen  clothes  and  the  napkin  were  found  by  Peter  and  John, 
upon  their  arrival  at  the  empty  sepulchre,  carefully  folded 
and  laid  aside,  not  more  narrowly  scanned  ?  And  above  all, 
why  was  not  the  '' loord  of  jjrophecif  interrogated  as  to 
the  course  of  life  and  mode  of  death  of  the  promised  Mes- 
siah ?  and  then  why  were  the  tablets  of  their  memory,  in- 
scribed as  they  were  with  the  early  expressions  of  their 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  71 

Master,  not  searched  for  intimations  of  His  death  and  resur- 
rection? Why  liad  they  ah^eady  seceded  from  the  circle 
over  which  the  promise  liovered — "I  will  not  leave  you 
orphans;  I  will  come  again  unto  you?''  Oh!  how  often 
might  we  now  stop  many  amongst  us  in  their  way  and  put 
similar  questions  :  Why  in  such  haste  ?  Why  so  soon  ?  when 
we  see  them  yielding  to  the  objections  of  a  sceptical  wordly- 
wisdom,  desert  their  colours,  surrender  the  gospel  cause,  and 
retreat  into  the  camp  of  the  unbelievers.  If  these  unhappy 
persons  would  but  give  themselves  time  and  opportunity  for 
closer  examination  and  investigation,  assuredly  they  would, 
by  degrees,  be  perfectly  convinced  that  those  discoveries 
which,  emanating  from  a  so-called  "advanced  mental  cul- 
ture," whether  in  natural  science,  history,  or  criticism,  had 
been  announced  to  threaten  the  continued  existence  of  Chris- 
tianity, are  not  actually  so  dangerous  as  popular  clamour 
would  fain  have  them  esteemed.  They  unwisely  conclude 
that  they  must  yield  the  field  to  armed  hosts,  and  flee  before 
mere  phantoms  and  airy  forms,  which,  before  the  torch  of  a 
closer  examination,  resolve  themselves  into  mere  vapour. 

Thus,  upon  the  loveliest  day  which  ever  lightened  the 
world,  our  two  disciples  are  groping  as  in  the  gloom  of 
night.  It  is  true,  they  were  not  distinctly  conscious  of  the 
extent  of  the  loss  they  had  sustained  in  being  deprived  of 
their  JMaster  ;  but  they  felt  what  they  did  not  clearly  know, 
and  experienced  most  sensibly  the  truth  of  the  apostle's  de- 
claration, "  If  Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain ;  ye 
are  yet  in  your  sins ;"  and,  "then  they  also  which  are  fallen 
asleep  in  Christ  are  perished,''  (1  Cor.  xv.  17,  18.)  Who 
now  stands  surety  for  them,  that  God  will  accept  the  sinner, 
and  exercise  grace  and  not  justice?  Without  an  intercessor, 
without  a  mediator,  without  a  saviour,  they  see  themselves 
cast  upon  their  own  resources.  Without  mast  and  without 
rudder,  their  little  bark  of  life  is  fast  driftino-  amono-  the 


72  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

breakers.  Where  shall  it  gain  the  shore?  who  shall  pre- 
serve it  from  total  shipwreck  ?  He  is  no  longer  at  the  helm 
on  whom  all  their  hopes  leaned ;  He  has  ceased  to  be  their 
Advocate  with  God ;  He  will  no  longer  prepare  them  man- 
sions in  heaven ;  nor,  when  their  last  hour  shall  strike,  will 
He  invest  them  with  that  wedding  garment  of  righteousness 
in  which  they  may  securely  abide  the  judgment.  Oh,  how 
wretched  are  these  two  orphan  souls,  so  severely  smitten,  so 
deeply  impoverished !  But  are  you  less  so,  though  you  do 
not  yet  feel  it  so  profoundly, — you  who  have  permanently, 
deliberately  resigned  yourselves  to  that  unbelief  into  which 
these  fell,  but  for  a  moment,  through  weakness  ?  Oh,  cer- 
tainly not !  you  are  utterly  stripped  of  hope,  and  more  justly, 
because  you  belong  to  an  age  of  higher  mental  culture.  It 
cannot  have  escaped  you  that  the  wisdom  of  the  natural 
understanding,  with  all  the  expenditure  of  its  investigations 
and  labour  of  thought,  exercised  during  thousands  of  years 
up  to  the  present  hour,  upon  the  real  destiny  of  man,  and 
especially  upon  his  existence  after  death,  has  brought  to 
light  no  reliable  result.  The  two  disciples  philosophise 
justly  when  they  resolve,  "  If  Christ  be  held  by  death,  then 
the  aim  and  end  of  human  life  is  fixed  on  this  side  the 
grave."  Oh,  my  friends,  do  not  deceive  yourselves  !  All 
that  you  are  wont  to  inscribe,  for  your  own  consolation, 
upon  the  tombs  of  your  departed  loved  ones,  of  their  being 
gone  home,  of  glory,  of  heavenly  crowns,  and  of  meeting 
again,  all  this  falls  irrecoverably  away  like  the  "baseless 
fabric  of  a  vision"  with  the  removal  of  that  pillar  upon 
which  alone  it  rests  securely — the  historical  fact  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus.  With  the  denial  of  the  miraculous 
event  of  Easter,  the  brightest  star  in  the  firmament  of  life  is 
extinguished — the  star  of  hope  ;  and  no  Plato,  no  Aristotle, 
nor  any  other  of  the  wise  men  of  this  world,  no  matter  with 
how  many  laurel  wreaths  fame  may  have  encircled  his  name, 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  73 

is  able  to  rekindle  its  sj^lendoiir.  But  liow  comes  it  to  pass 
that  they  who  set  their  sails  full  in  the  gale  of  unbelief  do 
not  go  through  life,  like  the  disciples  of  Enimaus,  sighing 
•with  downcast  heads  ?  Because  for  a  while  they  succeed  in 
busying  themselves  in  the  element  of  the  temporal  and  per- 
ishable, and  in  forcibly  ejecting  from  their  minds  all  anxiety 
respecting  the  world  beyond.  Only  wait  a  while  ;  for  them 
also  dark  cloudy  days  are  in  store,  since  they  must  needs 
confirm  in  their  own  experience  the  truth,  that  where  there 
is  no  Lord  of  the  resurrection,  there  night  reigns,  and  man 
must  pass  through  a  desert  of  inconsolable  despair. 

But  to  return  to  our  pilgrims ; — there  they  go  !  The 
hilly  road  to  Emmaus  brings  them  near  the  tombs  of  the 
Judges.  "  Ye  ancient  heroes,"  might  they  say  to  themselves, 
"  full  many  a  year  have  ye  lain  there  !  But  do  ye  sleep  in 
hope?  Who  is  there  now  to  assure  you  that  you  do  so?" 
Throughout  their  journey,  nature  presented  herself  to  the 
two  travellers  in  all  the  glory  and  beauty  of  spring.  But 
smiling  nature  only  discovers  her  charms  to  the  cheerful, 
whilst  she  leaves  the  afflicted  still  disconsolate.  But  it  must 
not  escape  us  that  a  few  rays  of  comfort,  as  if  from  some 
distant  star  twinkling  before  their  tearful  vision,  slightly 
lessened  tlieir  mental  darkness.  These  rays  emanated  partly 
from  the  message  brought  by  their  dearly- loved  sisters, 
though  their  reception  of  it  was  mingled  with  so  many 
doubts,  and  partly  from  their  not  having  wholly  forgotten 
their  Master's  declaration  with  reference  to  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  temple  on  the  third  day  after  it  had  been  broken 
in  pieces  by  the  hands  of  His  adversaries,  (John  ii.  19  ;)  but, 
above  all,  from  the  sublime  figure  of  the  Master  himself 
which  they  could  not  recall  without  the  question  forcing 
itself  on  their  attention,  whether  it  were  possible  to  conceive 
that  God,  the  holy  and  righteous,  should  really  have  given 
up  this,   His   obedient,   sinless,   and  v.holly  blameless  One, 


74  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

abandoning  Him  as  a  permanent  prey  to  death.  And  does 
not  the  same  experience  occur  at  times  to  unbelievers  even 
now  ?  Do  they  not  see,  darting  suddenly  through  the  night 
in  which  they  walk,  flashes  of  lightning  which  reveal  to 
them,  momentarily  at  least,  the  superhuman  majesty  and 
glory  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  When  a  lively  recollection  awakens 
up  within  them  how  that  Christ,  of  whom  they  desire  to 
know  nothing,  has  conquered  the  world,  and  impressed  it 
with  an  essentially  different  form,  —  when  as  from  one 
mighty  choir  all  the  jubilant  shouts  of  the  believing  hosts, 
who  through  faith  have,  during  eighteen  centuries,  van- 
quished the  world,  sin,  distress,  and  death,  strike  upon  their 
e?.rs, — when  their  eye  settles  upon  the  interminable  line  of 
honourable  monuments  which,  in  the  form  of  temples,  chari- 
table institutions,  works  of  artistic  genius,  and  every  other 
tribute  of  grateful  affection,  have  been  raised  to  that  "  Son 
of  man"  by  those  who,  living  and  dying,  had  in  Him  found 
peace, — or  occasionally  when  the  churches,  by  their  holiday 
chimes,  seem  to  say,  "  Behold  millions  throughout  the  world 
crowding  our  gates,  either  with  a  clearly-defined  purpose,  or 
from  involuntary  habit,  to  join  those  who  with  songs  of 
praise  and  homage  bow  the  knee  in  worship  to  Him  who 
lay  in  the  cradle,  hung  on  the  cross,  and  burst  the  bands  of 
the  grave ; " — does  not  sheet-lightning  from  the  highest 
heavens  at  such  a  moment  blaze  upon  the  infidel  darkness 
of  the  deniers  of  the  Bible  and  of  Christ,  forcing  on  them 
a  conviction  of  the  superhuman  majesty  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  strong  enough  at  least  to  rob  them  of  every  ground  of 
excuse  for  a  fresh  relapse  into  their  old  unbelief  ? 

But  let  us  listen  to  the  dialogue  of  our  two  travellers.  It 
is,  on  the  one  hand,  affecting  to  notice  how  zealously  they 
are  engaged  in  reconstructing,  if  possible,  the  mansion  of 
peace,  laid  in  ruins  by  their  Master's  death,  in  w^hich  tliey 
Lad  been  so  happy :  and,  on  tlie  other  hand,  how  from  fear 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  75 

of  renewed,  and  tlierefore  more  painful  illusion,  they  strive 
against  any  incipient  hope,  as  soon  as  it  is  presented  to  their 
consciousness ;  and  how,  even  in  spite  of  their  own  better 
convictions,  they  wilfully  reject  the  message  from  the  tomb 
brought  by  the  women,  and  try  to  pronounce  that  to  be  in 
some  wajT"  a  natural  appearance,  which  the  apostles  declared 
that  they  had  seen  there.  Would  that  all  who  do  not  believe 
now,  should  find  themselves  similarly  disposed,  so  that  the 
still  prevailing  scei)ticism  within  them  should  be  accom- 
panied by  a  sufficient  love  to  gospel  truth  to  waken  up 
solicitude,  lest  a  notion  so  eagerly  embraced  should  subse- 
quently prove  but  a  mere  delusion  !  AVe  might  then  an- 
nounce to  them  with  all  confidence  that  the  hour  was  not 
far  distant  when,  having  overcome  all  the  stumbling-blocks 
in  their  way  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  perfectly  assured 
of  their  interest  therein,  they  would  at  length  enter  it 
rejoicing  and  exulting.  But  to  the  majority  of  our  unbe- 
lievers that  plaintive  as  well  as  complaining  utterance  of  our 
Lord,  with  reference  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  is, 
alas !  more  applicable,  "  How  would  I  Imve  gathered  thee  as 
a  hen  her  cliickens  under  her  wings,  but  ye  would  not!" 

11.  A  strong  sensation  of  pleasure  pervaded  the  minds  of 
the  two  pilgrims  at  the  thouglit  that  their  Master,  really 
raised  to  life,  might  meet  them  again.  But  they  seek,  as 
has  been  suggested,  energetically  to  ward  off  such  a  delight- 
ful idea,  as  being  only  too  well  calculated  to  render  them 
doubly  sensible  of  their  desperate  condition.  They  walk  on, 
overpowered  and  benighted  by  the  dark  imagery  of  the 
crucifixion.  When,  lo !  a  tliird  person,  with  friendly  saluta- 
tion, suddenly  joins  them.  They  return  his  greeting,  and 
liastily  scan  him  from  head  to  foot,  but  without  recognition ; 
they  suppose  that  he  is  one  of  the  pilgrims  who  had  been 
up  to  the  feast,  and  is  now  returning  home  from  Jerusalem. 
It  hnd  been  so  ordered  that  they  should  not  yet  know  him. 


76  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

For  the  wisest  of  purposes,  "  their  eyes  were  holden,"  (Luke 
xxiv.  16.)  Yes,  theirs  were  ;  but  why  not  ours  also?  AVith 
throbbing  hearts  we  chant  our  Easter  Hallelujah  to  the 
veiled  Stranger.  All  our  salvation,  all  our  hope,  rests  upon 
this  Man,  as  we  see  Him  there,  standing  before  us  in  His 
new  life.  Suppose  Him  withdrawn,  and  there  we  are  for- 
lorn and  with  no  security  for  our  future  destiny.  But  who 
can  be  unaffected  by  the  Shepherd's  faithfulness,  which  has 
impelled  Him  in  this  instance  to  follow  these  two  scattered 
sheep  of  His  fold  !  Oh,  how  frequently  is  this  confession 
heard  in  the  circle  of  believers :  "  Long  ere  I  knew  Him, 
He  condescendingly  followed  me,  woke  me  out  of  my  dreary 
state  at  such  a  spot,  with  His  saving  hand  drew  me  back, 
with  His  gentle  voice  warned  me  of  the  impending  abyss. 
At  one  time  He  sent  me  an  angel  as  a  companion  in  the 
guise  of  a  friend  ;  at  another  He  j^laced  a  book  or  letter  in 
my  hand  which  recalled  me  to  my  senses  just  at  the  right 
moment;  again  by  some  incident  He  constrained  me  to 
reflect  upon  the  nothingness  of  all  worldly  objects  ;  by  some 
event  or  other  He  intelligibly  appealed  to  me  by  name." 
You  honest  doubters,  who  really  thirst  after  truth,  when 
you  shall  come  to  the  knowledge  of  it,  will  recognise  His 
footsteps  everywhere  throughout  your  past  career,  "  who 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,"  and  you  will 
from  your  own  experience  be  able  to  confirm  the  saying  that 
He  is  truly  one  who  "  will  not  break  the  bruised  reed  nor 
quench  the  smoking  flax. '' 

In  order  to  open  the  conversation,  the  stranger  asks  the 
kind  and  sympathetic  question,  what  they  are  so  earnestly 
conversing  about  on  the  way,  and  why  they  are  so  cast  down 
and  sorrowful.  The  manner  in  which  they  open  their  hearts 
to  him  and  begin  to  relate  their  whole  sad  story,  is  quite 
affecting.  Lideed,  they  can  scarcely  forbear  expressing  some 
decree  f;f  vexation  that  their  companion  should  be  the  only 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  77 

one  of  all  those  who  liad  come  to  Jerusalem  to  the  feast 
that  knew  nothing  of  what  had  occurred  during  the  last  few 
days.  And  who  would  blame  them  for  wondering  at  this  ? 
In  the  account  which  they  give,  they  call  their  Master  "a 
prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the 
people."  This  was  but  an  inadequate  confession  of  their 
great  Master ;  still  we  note  with  joy  this  their  description 
of  His  appearance.  They  thus  attest  from  their  own  expe- 
rience, not  only  the  publicity,  but  also  the  reality  of  His 
miracles.  We  also  hear  with  delight  the  words,  "  But  we 
trusted  that  it  had  been  He  which  should  have  redeemed 
Israel."  For  whatever  may  have  been  their  conception  of 
redemption,  the  great  hopes  which  they  entertained  of  their 
Lord  give  us  a  sure  indication  of  the  superhuman  majesty 
by  which  they  must  have  seen  Him  surrounded,  even  whilst 
He  still  lived  in  the  form  of  a  servant.  Further,  it  is  of 
importance  to  note  that  they  unwittingly  confirm  the  saying 
of  the  women,  concerning  the  aj^pcarance  of  the  angels  at 
the  empty  grave  of  Him  who  "  was  delivered  up  by  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes  to  death,"  and  that  they  evidently 
know  something  of  "  a  third  day"  and  its  associated  hopes. 
Therefore,  that  which  they  assign  to  be  the  subject  and  cause 
of  their  sorroiu  conduces  only  to  strengthen  and  confirm  our 
belief,  and  we  gladly  accept  them  as  two  important  witnesses 
to  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  despite  their  own  unwarrantable 
doubts.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  their  unknown  companion 
does  not  interrupt  them  in  the  outpouring  of  their  hearts. 
Even  in  that  which  is  a2)parently  a  testimony  against  their 
IMaster,  they  thus  only  witnessed  for  Him,  and  defended 
His  honour.  But  when  they  had  unburdened  their  hearts, 
the  stranger  considers  it  time  for  him  to  break  silence,  and 
at  once  to  awaken  the  sorrowing  ones  from  their  melancholy 
and  idle  fancies.  But  what  proceeds  from  his  lips  ?  Is  it 
some  word  of  tender  sympathy  or  of  compassionate  encour- 


78  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

agement?  Notbino-  of  the  sort.  Suddenly  a  shrill  trumpet- 
blast  strikes  upon  their  ear.  "  0  fools,"  says  the  stranger 
to  them,  "  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets 
have  spoken  :  ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things, 
and  to  enter  into  his  glory  ? "  What  shall  we  say  to'  this 
passage  ?  Let  us  grasp  it  with  all  our  might.  It  is  a  pas- 
sage of  the  greatest  and  most  encouraging  import.  Observe, 
first,  'that  the  mysterious  Personage  here  brands  and  con- 
demns as  a  "  folly "  tho.t  unbelief  which  in  our  days  is 
extolled  as  enlightenment,  and  we  may  rest  assured  that  He 
calls  things  by  tlieir  right  names.  Observe,  in  the  second 
place,  that  He  expressly  gives  to  the  prophets  the  honour  of 
being  tlie  infallible  organs  and  interpreters  of  divine  revela- 
tion, and  demands  implicit  belief  for  all  that  they  have 
spoken  in  the  name  of  God.  But,  above  all,  do  not  let  it 
escape  you  that  He  here  represents  the  sacrifice  of  His  life 
as  a  necessity  springing  out  of  God's  plan  of  redemption,  as 
the  indispensable  condition  of  His  exaltation,  i.e.,  of  the 
glorification  of  Him  who  was  God-man,  Saviour  of  the 
world.  Sovereign  of  the  kingdom  of  grace,  and  Head  of 
His  spiritual  body  the  Church.  These  are  extremely  im- 
portant truths.  Hoard  them  like  precious  jewels  in  the 
casket  of  your  heart ! 

The  discij^les  did  not  clearly  understand  the  words  which 
they  had  just  heard.  Surprised,  amazed,  confounded,  they 
looked  now  at  one  another,  now  at  the  wonderful  stranger. 
But  the  startling  appeal,  which  penetrated  their  inmost  souls, 
had  done  its  work.  It  has  shaken  them  out  of  their  brood- 
ing melancholy,  and  inclined  them  to  give  further  heed  to 
the  stranger.  Would  that  the  same  might  one  day  be  said 
of  you,  ye  doubters  in  our  midst !  May  you  also  begin  to 
seek,  and  to  inquire,  and  thoroughly  scrutinise  the  matter, 
which,  though  scarce  looked  at  even  superficially,  you  now 
dare  to  deny  !    The  majority  of  your  party  desist  too  quickly 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  79 

from  the  search  after  truth,  and  remain,  like  indolent  sailors, 
fast  aground  on  the  sandbank  of  unbelief.  We  read  further 
in  the  Gospel,  that  the  unknown  one,  beginning  at  Moses 
and  all  the  proi)hets,  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the  Scrip- 
tures the  things  concerning  Himself.  See  here  the  guide 
■who  will  conduct  you  safely  to  the  end  of  your  journey. 
Because  you  do  not  knoiu  the  Scriptures,  therefore  you  do 
not  believe.  If  you  could  only  determine  to  plunge  heart 
and  soul  into  them,  how  soon  would  your  heart  burn  within 
you,  like  the  two  disciples',  with  joyful  admiration  of  all  the 
glories  with  which  you  would  find  yourself  surrounded ! 
How  sacred  is  the  ground  on  wliich  we  now  tread  !  How 
wonderfully  sublime  the  new  world  which  here  receives  us  ! 
What  a  different  atmosphere  do  we  breathe,  even  on  the  very 
threshold  of  this  book,  from  that  which  is  around  all  other 
WTitings,  even  the  productions  of  the  greatest  and  most  gifted 
minds  1  We  seem  to  be  transplanted  at  once  from  the  noise 
and  bustle  of  a  profane  market-place  to  the  holy  quiet  of  a 
sacred  palm-grove,  from  the  workshop  of  daily  life  into  the 
precincts  of  a  sacred  temple,  as  soon  as  that  mysterious  book, 
wliich  has  given  a  new  form  to  the  world,  is  opened  before 
us.  What  holy,  sacred  personages  meet  us  here !  The 
jiatriarchs  walking  constantly  before  the  face  of  Jehovah ! 
Those  heroic  forms  clad  in  divine  panoply  !  The  prophets 
on  their  spiritual  watch-towers,  elevated  by  the  distinct  con- 
sciousness that  they  speak  not  according  to  their  own  im- 
pulses, but  in  the  name  and  by  the  connnission  of  the 
Almighty  !  And  then  their  prophecies  and  testimony  ! 
Who  is  there  who,  reading  them  with  an  unprejudiced  mind, 
does  not  perceive  at  the  first  glance  the  impress  of  their 
supernatural  origin,  which  they  carry  on  their  brow?  These 
streams  of  lioht  which  rellect  the  brightness  of  the  everlast- 
ing  throne  !  These  gold-mines,  unfathomable  and  inexhaust- 
ible ill  their  treasures  and  gems  !    These  echoes  of  paradisai- 


80  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

cal  harmonies,  elsewhere  entirely  unknown !  And  then  that 
sublime  plan  of  redemption,  disclosed  to  ns  by  these  wit- 
nesses of  the  Spirit ;  and  the  adorable,  unchanging  faithful- 
ness with  wdiich  God  conducts  His  sublime  purpose  to  its 
final  completion!  On  the  entrance  of  sin  into  the  world, 
the  curse  is  fulminated ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  in  order  to 
incline  the  hearts  of  the  fallen  ones  to  return  to  the  Lord, 
there  is  the  promise  of  grace  and  of  divine  forgiveness. 
Then  when,  despite  this  warning,  the  stream  of  corruption 
rose  higher  and  higher,  a  peculiar  people  is  selected  to  carry 
down  the  revelation  of  the  means  of  salvation  for  a  world, 
which,  without  such  provision,  would  have  perished.  The 
careful,  providential  mode  in  which  this  elect  nation  is  led, 
disciplined  at  one  time  by  severity  and  at  another  by  cle- 
mency ;  the  awakening  of  their  consciences  to  a  sense  of  guilt 
by  the  delivery  of  the  law  at  Sinai ;  and  then  the  ever- 
increasing  definiteness  of  the  promises  of  redemption,  by 
means  of  symbols,  of  typical  personalities,  of  transparent  and 
unequivocal  prophetic  utterances, — setting  forth  with  aug- 
menting clearness  and  completeness  the  exalted  person  of 
the  great  Messiah,  who  Himself  should  bring  in  the  redemp- 
tion. This  Saviour  rises  before  us,  as  a  child,  bearing  the 
titles  of  "Prince  of  Peace"  and  of  "  The  Eternal  Father;" 
as  a  "  Priest-king,"  whom  David  calls  his  Lord  ;  as  a  "  com- 
forter of  all  who  mourn,"  a  "  deliverer  of  them  that  are 
bound;"  as  the  "Lamb  of  God,"  who  bears  the  sins  of  the 
world  ;  as  a  hero  who  rescues  the  prey  from  the  old  ser|)ent, 
the  arch-enemy  of  God  and  man,  whom  He  treads  under  foot. 
The  mirror  of  prophecy  represents  Him  as  authenticating 
His  divine  mission  by  siiins  and  wonders ;  as  the  Good 
Shepherd  who  goes  after  His  lost  sheep ;  as  giving  His  life 
as  a  sacrifice  for  them  ;  as  having  been  taken  from  judg- 
ment, and  crowned  with  honour  and  glory  ;  as  living  ever- 
more, and  claiming  the  nations  for  His  inheritance.     Ages 


THE  DISCirLES  AT  EMMAUS.  81 

before  His  appearing  He  was  already  known,  as  if  He  bad 
been  already  seen  upon  earth.  And  when,  at  length,  He 
really  does  appear,  prophecy  and  fulfilment,  type  and  anti- 
type agree,  not  only  in  the  main  and  essential  features,  but 
also  in  the  most  minute  incidents.  Could  this  comport  with 
the  natural  course  of  things  ?  By  no  means  !  Here  is  most 
obviously  the  direct  hand  of  that  God  who  immediately 
interferes  with  and  manages  all  things.  Sceptic !  turn  to 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  ;  thou  groper  in  darkness,  intently 
study  them, — so  shalt  thou  soon  see  the  morning  dawn  over 
thy  head,  as  it  did  over  those  two  disciples,  when  the  Un- 
known One,  walking  with  them  in  the  way,  led  them  in 
spirit  through  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  from  their 
prophecies  declared  to  them  the  future  mighty  "  Prince  of 
Peace." 

III.  Let  us  accompany  them  further.  Who  can  describe 
their  agitation  of  mind  ?  They  can  no  longer  question,  even 
for  a  moment,  that  their  crucified  Master  is  other  than  the 
Pedeemer  of  the  world,  described  by  and  prefigured  in  Moses 
and  the  prophets.  Everything,  from  the  cradle  to  the  cross, 
was  fulfilled  in  Him  to  the  letter.  But  does  this  fulfilment 
cease  at  the  crucifixion  ?  Is  there  no  further  coincidence  ? 
Should  there  not  be  a  keystone,  and  is  this  keystone  want- 
ing ?  Does  this  pyramid  of  life  want  the  topmost  stone  ? 
Does  the  healthy,  vigorous  tree,  instead  of  developing  its 
leafy  crown,  abruptly  terminate  in  a  stump  ?  To  the  two 
disciples  this  appeared  inconceivable.  Hope  revives  within 
them.  Of  a  truth,  every  line  of  the  picture  in  their  memories, 
stroke  for  stroke,  had  been  reproduced  in  Him.  And  shall 
the  last,  the  only  remaining  feature, — that  of  victory  over 
death  in  the  resurrection, — be  alone  wantino*  ?  If  death 
held  Him,  where  then  was  the  body?  They,  the  disciples, 
had  not  carried  it  away.  Had  His  enemies,  perhaps,  done 
so  ?     Impossible  !     For  had  He  been  in  their  hands,  would 

F 


82  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

they  not  publicly  have  exhibited  the  corpse,  and  have  tri- 
umpheil,  saying,  "  See  !  here  is  your  vaunted  Prince  of 
Peace,  on  whom  all  your  hopes  are  fixed."  These  thoughts, 
or  similar  ones,  may  have  been  \Yeighed  one  after  another  in 
the  mental  scales  of  the  good  men,  and  we  understand  wjiat 
they  mean  when  we  afterwards  hear  them  say,  "Did  not  our 
hearts  burn  within  us,  while  He  talked  with  us  by  the  way?" 
They  arrive  at  Emmaus.  The  Unknown  made  as  though 
He  would  go  further  and  part  from  them ;  but  their  fervent 
wish  is  that  He  should  not,  and  they  begin  to  beg  and  con- 
strain Him,  saying,  ''Abide  with  us,  for  it  is  towards  even- 
ing, and  the  day  is  far  spent.''  Who  is  not  familiar  with 
this  earnest  request,  this  pathetic  appeal,  which,  though  not 
always  rightly  understood,  finds  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  all 
who  ever  heard  it  ?  It  contains  incomparably  more  than  the 
words  seem  to  express.  This  was  no  secret  to  their  com- 
panion. It  was  whilst  they  walked  with  Him,  and  He  led 
them  through  the  writings  of  Moses  and  the  proj)hets,  that 
they  first  became  convinced  how  imperatively  poor  sinners 
like  themselves,  condemned  by  the  law,  needed  a  Saviour,  a 
proj^itiator,  and  an  intercessor  between  them  and  the  Lord 
God.  But  what  if  a  more  blessed  thing  still  could  happen 
to  them,  if  their  unknown  friend  had  also  in  reserve  for  them 
the  message  that  their  Master  really  was  alive  again  ?  The 
very  thought  of  this  might  make  them  shout  aloud  for  joy. 
Heaven  is  opened  to  them  by  this  possibility.  For  then 
their  Jesus  would  really  be  the  Saviour  whom  they  needed. 
Then,  before  the  whole  world,  the  everlasting  Father  would 
have  accredited  and  crowned  Him  in  this  character.  Then 
neither  Moses,  nor  Satan,  nor  their  own  conscience  could 
accuse  them  anymore.  Tliey  saw  themselves  "accepted  of 
God  in  the  beloved."  Wliat  an  intimate  friend  would  then 
have  been  restored  to  them  in  Him  !  what  a  surety,  not  only 
for  their  personal  existence  after  death,  but  also  for  their 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  83 

future  glorious  cliauge  and  exaltation  in  their  Father's  house ! 
Do  you  still  wonder  that  you  hear  them  intreat  so  urgently, 
so  pressingly,  "Abide  with  us,  abide  with  us?"  Learn 
from  this  why  the  eyes  of  the  disciples  were  "  holden  that 
they  should  not  know  Him."  Wliat  would  it  have  profited 
them  if  their  companion  had  revealed  Himself  to  them  when 
they  first  met  ?  Truly  they  would  have  been  overwhelmed 
with  joyous  astonishment,  but  it  would  have  been  astonish- 
ment without  light  and  without  clearness  of  apprehension. 
They  would  have  hailed  their  risen  Saviour  vehemently,  ex- 
ultingly,  but  they  would  not  have  had  any  just  appreciation 
of  the  real  import  of  His  resurrection.  Meeting  them,  as 
He  now  does,  after  they  have  been  enlightened  by  the  word 
of  God,  they  know  what  they  have  in  Him ;  their  joy  has  a 
firm  foundation ;  their  rejoicing  has  a  well-defined  object. 

"  Abide  with  us."  These  words  bespeak  blissful  anticipa- 
tion and  expectation ;  we  see  in  them  the  first  blush  of  that 
spiritual  dawn  which  rose  upon  their  minds  towards  the  end 
of  their  walk,  and  preluded  the  glorious  noon-tide  of  Easter- 
day.  You  are  now  in  a  position  to  appreciate  the  joy  of  the 
disciples  when  the  companion  who  joined  them  on  the  way 
yields  to  their  entreaties  to  stay.  They  take  Him  to  a  rustic 
cottage,  the  home  of  one  of  them,  and,  bidding  Him  a  hearty 
welcome  there,  hasten  to  prepare  a  simple  meal.  When  the 
table  is  s^Dread,  and  they  are  all  seated  around  it,  the  guest 
rises  to  officiate  as  master  of  the  house.  "  Oh,"  they  both 
think,  "  that  is  just  as  He  used  to  do  when  He  lived  and 
walked  with  us."  But  they  do  not  yet  perceive  who  it  is 
that  is  standing  before  them.  He  takes  the  bread.  What 
sorrowful  but  sweet  recollections  arise  in  their  souls  at  the 
sight !  He  gives  thanks.  Wliat  do  they  then  experience  ? 
do  they  dream?  The  tone!  the  spirit!  the  unction! — all, 
all  are  just  as  He  used  to  pray !  He  breaks  the  bread — 
exactly  so  He  was  wont  to  do  !     He  ofiers  it  to  tliem ;  but 


84  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

let  others  take  it.  They  stand  as  though  petrified ;  for  all 
of  a  sudden  their  eyes  have  been  opened — "  Yes,  it  is  He  !  " 
it  is  He  himself — "  Assuredly  He  lives/'  They  are  in  the 
act  of  prostrating  themselves  and  clasping  His  feet ;  but 
they  may  no  longer  do  so.  Their  previous  intercourse  with 
Him  now  yields  to  another  higher  and  more  spiritual.  Ere 
they  could  realise  the  fact,  the  risen  glorified  Messiah,  for  it 
was  He,  had  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  But  why  had  they 
not  long  previously  divined  who  it  was  that  had  borne  them 
company?  They  cannot  even  account  for  it  themselves. 
''Did  not  our  hearts  hum  within  us,"  we  hear  them  cry, 
"  while  he  talked  luith  us  hy  the  way,  and  while  he  opened 
to  us  the  Scriptures  ?"  But  now,  without  a  moment's  delay, 
they  hasten  through  the  still  night  on  the  wings  of  joy  back 
again  to  Jerusalem.  In  what  different  terms  do  they  now 
hail  the  sepulchre  of  the  ancient  judges  from  those  in  which, 
when  passing,  they  saluted  it  as  they  sallied  forth  from  the 
city ;  and  in  what  a  totally  diflferent  light  does  the  whole 
world  appear  to  them  now,  though  still  outwardly  sunless, 
for  the  Eisen  One  is  henceforth  their  Sun  !  Arriving  at 
Jerusalem,  they  go  to  the  house  of  John ;  they  no  sooner 
join  the  circle  of  the  disciples  there  than  they  are  greeted 
with  the  joyful  exclamation,  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and 
hath  appeared  to  Simon."  The  two  highly-favoured  ones 
can  confirm  this  triumphant  testimony  by  what  they  have 
both  seen  and  heard.  Every  countenance  beams  with  over- 
flowing joy.  But  after  their  surging  feelings  had  somewhat 
subsided,  the  brethren  from  Emmaus  had  to  narrate  what 
they  had  experienced,  and  they  related  most  minutely  all 
that  had  happened  to  them  on  their  homeward  journey,  and 
"  how  He  was  known  of  them  in  breaking  of  bread." 

Thus  have  our  two  pilgrims  entered  the  glorious  sun- 
illumined  Easter  world,  where  death  has  lost  its  sting,  where 
the  head  of  the  old  serpent  is  crushed,    the  paradisaical 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  E3IMAUS.  85 

sonship  to  God  is  renewed,  and  the  Angel  of  Hope  again 
consoles  tlie  child  of  the  dust,  as  he  walks  by  his  side. 
Blessed  indeed  are  all  they  for  whom  a  place  is  prepared  in 
this  world,  illumined  by  the  Easter  Sun !  And  such  a  place 
is  open  to  you  all !  From  the  dcjjths  of  your  soul,  let  such 
a  prayer  rise  as  that  of  the  disciples  of  Emmaus ;  because 
it  is  likewise  night  with  you,  and  then  the  sun  of  a  false 
peace  and  of  an  imaginary  security  will  hasten  to  decline. 
In  the  breaking  of  the  heavenly  bread  of  inward  peace  with 
God  by  Him,  you  would  recognise  in  Him  your  only  Saviour, 
and  the  author  of  your  bliss.  And  if  you  did  but  learn, 
from  the  deepest  inmost  conviction  of  your  heart,  to  say 
with  the  patriarch,  "  I  know  that  my  Eedcemer  liveth,"  you 
would  immediately,  like  him,  be  raised  above  the  mighty 
ones  of  this  earth,  and  would  unite  triumjjhautly  in  the  old 
Easter  hymn  : — 

"  On  this  day,  most  blest  of  days  ! 
Let  u.s  keep  bigli  festival, 
For  our  God  hath  shew'd  His  grace. 
And  our  Sun  hath  risen  on  all. 
And  our  hearts  rejoice  to  see 
8in  and  night  bcfoio  ITim  flee. 
Hallelujah  !  " 
Jjuther,  translated  by  Miss  WinJcworA. 


86  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 


VII. 

THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

SECOND  MEDITATION. 

High  up  the  Missouri  river  in  North  America,  just  beyond 
all  the  settlements,  and  where  a  vast  tract  of  country  is  as 
yet  undisturbed  in  its  primeval  state,  there  is  a  double  sign- 
post standing  in  a  boundless  prairie.  It  indicates  on  one 
of  its  arms,  "  To  Mexico,"  on  the  other,  "  To  California." 
How  many  a  wanderer,  following  one  or  other  of  these 
waymarks,  has  been  lost,  and  has  perished  in  the  pathless, 
unpeopled  wilderness  for  want  of  signposts  further  on  !  The 
ministers  of  the  Word  would  be  like  that  signpost,  if  they 
contented  themselves  by  calling  out  in  general  terms,  "Ye 
must  repent  and  believe,  if  ye  would  attain  eternal  life." 
Their  duty  is  rather  to  raise  signposts  here  and  there  on  the 
road  to  safety  and  to  heaven,  and  with  the  prophet  (Isa.  xxx. 
21)  to  declare  unto  you,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it, 
turninoj  neither  to  the  rioht  hand  nor  to  the  left."  The 
peerless  Gospel  of  Easter-day,  v/hich  we  are  now  about  to 
consider  for  the  second  time,  is  in  itself  a  sufficient  guide, 
shewing  practically,  stej)  by  step,  the  way  of  salvation,  with 
such  accuracy  that  whoever  does  not  wilfully  blind  himself, 
cannot  overlook,  mistake,  or  miss  it. 
Luke  xxiv.  13-34. 
Let  us  return  once  more  to  this  beloved  Gospel ;   but 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  87 

not  as  if  we  deemed  it  possible  to  exhaust  the  fulness  of 
thought  contained  in  it,  for  it  is  inexhaustible ;  but  simply 
because  we  wish  to  bring  nearer  to  your  understandings,  as 
well  as  to  your  hearts,  several  topics  upon  which  we  could 
touch  but  slightly  in  our  first  meditation.  To  carry  this  out, 
let  us  in  the  first  lAtxce  see  who  there  is  amonrjst  us  luhose^ 
tone  of  mind  corresponds  luith  that  exhibited  hy  the  disciples 
of  Emmaus ;  secondly,  in  what  manner  there  may  he  an 
essential  coincidence  of  experience  in  that  luhich  may  hetide 
us  in  our  iKith  of  life,  and  in  that  luhich  occurred  to  the 
two  travellers  on  theirs  to  Emmaus ;  and,  thirdly,  luhen  the 
moment  aii^ives,  that  it  may  also  he  justly  said  of  us,  that 
the  Easter  sun  is  risen  upon  us. 

Oh,  that  whilst  thus  mutually  engaged,  this  Sun  would 
burst  forth  upon  us  with  His  blissful  heavenly  rays  ! 

I.  The  two  disciples,  whom  we  see  leave  Jerusalem  late  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  the  resurrection,  had  suffered 
shipwreck  in  their  faith.  Unhappily  we  meet  in  the  present 
day  with  niany  who  resemble  them  in  their  experience  and 
its  results.  Since  the  two  disciples  had  seen  their  Master 
grow  pale  in  death,  it  seems  as  though  they  had  for  ever 
given  up  His  cause,  with  all  the  comfort  also  which  they  had 
derived  from  it,  and  all  the  hopes  which  they  had  based 
upon  it.  Alas,  thousands  in  our  own  day  might  say  to  them, 
"  We  have  done  that  long  ago."  But  among  those  who  have 
fallen  away  to  unbelief,  important  differences  exist.  There 
are,  in  the  first  place,  numbers  who  never  did  believe.  Pious 
parents  have  never  raised  the  tiny  hands  of  these  pitiable 
ones  in  prayer.     The  well-known  verse — 

"  Expand  Thy  wings,  0  Jesus  ! 
And  nestle  me,  Thy  little  one," 

has  never  sounded  from  their  lips.  Perhaps  at  school  they  heard 
this  and  that  about  Jesus,  about  His  teaching  and  His  miracles; 


88  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

but  probably,  what  they  did  hear  of  Him  came  to  them  only 
in  a  diluted  or  stunted  form,  or  only  as  a  mere  letter  without 
spirit  and  life.  It  did  not  warm  their  hearts  ;  it  did  not 
kindle  within  them  a  longing  for  a  nearer  view  and  a  more 
living  apprehension.  It  awakened  no  blissful  anticipation  in 
them,  like  that  which  elicited  the  exclamation  from  the  man 
in  the  Gospel,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the 
kingdom  of  God."  From  their  infancy  upwards  they  have 
never  known  any  other  kingdom  than  the  kingdom  of  this 
world,  where  no  interest  scarcely  is  felt  beyond  the  trivial 
matters,  "What  shall  we  eat?  what  shall  we  drink?  or 
wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed  ? "  These  spiritually-ne- 
glected ones,  to  whose  worldly,  prejudiced  consciousness  the 
gospel  is  as  though  it  were  not,  and  who  have  no  idea  of 
the  splendour  of  that  world  of  glory  which  Christ  has  re- 
vealed to  His  people,  wholly  differ  in  their  moral  bias  from 
the  disciples  of  Emmaus,  and  we  can  only  commend  them  to 
Almighty  God,  and  intreat  for  them  His  free  grace.  Others, 
indeed,  have  once  had  a  holier,  happier  time,  though  only  in 
childhood.  They  were  amongst  the  children  who  sang 
"  hosannas  "  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  They  were  deeply  interested 
in  all  that  they  heard  of  Him,  and  especially  in  the  fact  that 
He  had  shewn  himself  so  good  and  so  gracious.  They  rejoiced 
that  He,  having  little  children  before  Him,  had  said,  "  Suffer 
little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And  how  joyously  and  hope- 
fully could  they  then  raise  folded  hands  heavenwards,  when 
aught  awakened  solicitude ;  were  it  that  they  commended  a  sick 
father  or  mother,  or  any  other  sufferer  in  their  family  circle, 
to  God ;  or  were  it  a  petition  to  the  throne  of  grace  for  some 
other  desired  blessing.  But  now  they  are  grown  up,  they 
have  become  "  enlightened,"  and  have  read  newspapers  and 
clever  books,  and  loftily  boast  that  they  have  climbed  the 
heights  of  modern  culture,  and  that  with  their  childish  habits 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  89 

they  likewise  cast  away  tlieir  former  faith,  hope,  trust,  and 
prayer.  Theirs  is  a  lost  j^iradise.  But  with  a  smile  of 
fancied  superiority,  they  now  say  that  there  was  a  time  when 
they  well-nigh  might  have  relied  upon  that  "  beautiful  legend 
of  the  gospel"'  as  though  it  had  been  a  real  world.  Between 
such  objects  of  commiseration  as  these  and  the  two  travellers 
to  Emmaus,  there  is  nought  akin  !  We  have  still  less  hope  of 
them  than  of  those  first  described.  Severe  visitations  of  Pro- 
vidence only  are  calculated  to  bring  about  a  change  of  mind 
■  in  their  case. 

But  now  let  me  introduce  to  you  a  third  class.  To  it  be- 
long those  who  also  look  back  to  a  beautiful  past  which  has 
disappeared,  because  they  had  become  far  more  at  home  in 
the  world  of  gospel  belief,  and  had  drunk  far  richer  comforts 
and  joys  from  its  wells  than  the  last-mentioned  ones ;  but  to 
them  that  world  has  no  less  sunk  in  ruins  under  the  assault 
of  a  new  teaching  hostile  to  the  faith,  and  for  them  no  longer 
exists  any  supernatural  revelation,  nor  a  Son  of  God  veiled 
in  the  flesh,  nor  a  Prince  of  Peace  raised  from  the  dead,  be- 
cause they  fancy  it  has  been  irrefragably  demonstrated  by  an 
"advanced  science"  that  nothing  of  the  kind  can  be  believed 
without  setting  at  defiance  all  the  laws  of  thought  which 
reason  has  determined.  In  their  denial  of  the  truth  they 
certainly  occupy  the  same  stand-point  as  those  represented 
above ;  nevertheless,  these  essentially  differ  from  the  former, 
in  that  they  do  not  look  back  upon  their  lost  Eden  with 
wanton  thoughtlessness,  but  with  sadness  and  silent  grief, 
and  would  be  indeed  happy  if  they  could  believe  the  possi- 
bility that  their  once  beautiful  and  much-loved  dream  might 
turn  out  to  be  a  reality, — if  they  could,  from  its  ruins,  recon- 
struct the  ideal  kingdom  which  kindled  the  enthusiasm  of 
their  simple  childhood.  These  doubters  are,  indeed,  akin  to 
those  disciples  going  to  Emmaus,  who  also  had  given  up  the 
gospel  as  lost,  since  their  Master  had  died,  and  His  corpse, 


90  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

as  they  tlionglit,  had  been  carried  away  by  His  sworn  foes. 
But,  oil !  with  what  yearnings  did  they  recur  to  those  days, 
now  gone  for  ever,  and  how  would  they  have  rejoiced  had 
they  been  able  to  find  any  sure  ground  of  conviction  that 
the  Crucified  One  was  nevertheless  Lord  of  heaven,  their 
Saviour,  and  Author  of  their  bliss,  and  that  as  a  proof  He 
had  not  ceased  to  be  so,  He  had  really  risen  again  from  the 
dead.  Hear  them  conversing  by  the  way '  Every  word 
breathes  the  deepest  longings  for  the  restoration  of  their 
shattered  paradise.  But  when  such  a  frame  of  mind  accom- 
panies scepticism,  however  outspoken  it  may  be,  we  consider 
ourselves  fully  authorised  to  entertain  the  most  favourable 
opinion  as  to  the  issue. 

II.  There  go  our  pilgrims.  Lo  !  a  third  has  joined  them. 
We  know  who  it  is.  But  it  must  still  remain  concealed  from 
them.  After  the  stranger  has  induced  them  to  reveal  to  Him 
the  cause  of  their  sorrow,  He  first  arouses  them  from  their 
gloomy  dreaminess  and  stupor  by  rebuking  them  as  "fools 
and  slow  of  heart"  because  of  their  unbelief,  and  then  He 
expounds  to  them  all  the  Old  Testament  prophecies,  from 
Moses  downwards,  which  refer  to  the  great  Messiah,  to  His 
wonderful  life  on  earth,  and  also  to  His  passion,  death,  and 
resurrection.  Then  their  hearts  begin  to  burn  within  them, 
although  they  have  no  idea  who  it  is  that  is  speaking  to 
them.  The  like  is  still  experienced  among  unbelievers,  pro- 
vided they  belong  to  the  more  serious  and  thoughtful  doubters. 
Quiet  hours  of  contemplation  and  reflection  overtake  us,  when 
whole  trains  of  thought  pass  through  the  soul ;  the  man  knows 
1.  t  himself  whence  they  come,  but  they  seem  like  the  exhorta- 
tions of  an  invisible  friend  who  would  turn  us  from  unbelief 
to  faith.  The  question  then,  perhaps,  arises  within  us,  "  Is 
Christianity  really  the  work  and  invention  of  man  V — Chris- 
tianity, that  spiritual  power  whicli  has  morally  transformed 
the  world,  changed  the  face  of  the  earth,  opened  the  heaven 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EJVIMAUS.  91 

above  it,  and  even  in  the  present  clay  does  what  no  human 
science  or  art  can  ;  for,  as  by  enchantment,  within  a  very 
short  time,  it  not  only  rescues  savage  nations  from  their 
barbarism,  but  imparts  gentleness  and  civilisation  ;  it  trans- 
forms lions  into  lambs  ! — Christianity,  which  raises  man 
above  himself,  presents  to  him  the  ideal  of  a  higher  destiny 
than  ever  before  entered  into  any  human  heart ;  it  reveals  to 
him  a  sanctity  of  which  no  philosopher  of  this  world  ever 
dreamed,  and  to  which  the  noblest  characters  recorded  in  the 
history  of  the  last  eighteen  hundred  years  owe  their  being 
and  their  inmost  life.  Can  that  possibly  be  of  earthly  origin 
and  the  offspring  of  the  human  brain?  And  was  Christ 
himself  really  but  a  man, — He  who  had  indisputably  de- 
clared Himself  openly  and  publicly  to  be  He  who  had  come 
down  from  heaven  ?  Apart  from  the  testimony  of  the  Bible, 
are  we  not  assured  of  it  by  the  tradition  of  the  Jews,  down 
to  the  present  time,  that  He  was  crucified  by  their  fathers 
because  He  made  Himself  equal  with  God  ?  Is  it  conceiv- 
able that  His  contemporaries  should  have  falsely  attributed 
to  a  mere  man  the  divine  miracles,  and  that  divine  splendour 
of  glory  in  which,  for  example,  the  fourth  Gospel  represents 
Him  to  us  ?  But  that  this  Gospel  was  written  by  a  contem- 
porary and  disciple  of  Jesus,  by  John,  is  now  placed  beyond 
all  doubt.  And  assuming  that  which  is  inconceivable, 
namely,  that  the  miracles  of  Jesus  were  only  fictitious,  who 
amongst  those  who  saw  Jesus  bodily  moving  among  them 
would  ever  have  believed  such  fictions?  But  it  is  an  un- 
deniable fact  that,  within  a  short  time,  thousands  from  their 
own  observations  really  believed  that  the  man  of  Nazareth 
was  the  only-])egotten  Son  of  the  Father,  and  that  they 
acknowledged  Him,  for  time  and  for  eternity,  as  the  Saviour 
of  their  souls,  accredited  by  God,  And  can  it  be  denied  that 
He  unequivocally  foretold  that  He,  with  His  fishermen  and 
publicans,  should  conquer  the  world,  and   that  He  would 


92  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

build  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  temple  a  new  one,  made  of 
living  stones, — a  spiritual  temple,  which  should  be  co-exten- 
sive with  the  whole  world  ?  And  has  not  this  prophecy  been 
literally  fulfilled?  And  His  resurrection  —  is  this  really 
nothing  but  a  fable  ?  Where  then  was  the  corpse  laid  ?  Put 
out  of  the  way  by  the  Jews  ?  Impossible  !  For  how  could 
these  infuriated  adversaries  have  foregone  the  opportunity  of 
destroying  at  a  blow  the  kingdom  which  they  so  much  hated, 
by  exhibiting  at  the  right  moment  His  bloody  corpse  ?  Did 
the  apostles  then  carry  Him  away  ?  Well,  then,  their  enthu- 
siasm would  have  been  shewn  for  one  now  dead,  who  had, 
whilst  living,  most  bitterly  deceived  them  ;  they  would  then 
have  joyfully  staked  everything,  even  blood  and  life,  for  a 
false  Messiah ;  they  would  then  fain  have  won  over  the 
highly-cultured  natious  of  Greece  and  Rome  to  the  banner 
of  one  who,  manifestly,  had  been  branded  as  a  blasphemer 
by  God  himself.  And  Paul  would  then,  in  his  First  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians,  which  no  one  in  the  present  day  presumes 
to  deny  to  be  his,  have  borne  testimony,  which  he  boldly 
does,  that  any  contemporary  of  the  apostle,  to  whom  the  great 
fact  might  have  appeared  difficult  of  credit,  might  meet  with 
numbers  then  living,  both  ocular  and  oral  witnesses  of  it,  for 
Christ  had,  subsequently  to  His  resurrection,  presented  Him- 
self to  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once,  of  whom  but  few 
harl  then  died.  And  as  to  His  portraiture  by  the  prophets — 
is  there  room  for  doubt  when  it  is  revealed  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  to  the  minutest  features?  And  how  clearly  is  the 
divine  plan  of  redemption  revealed  to  us  in  the  writings  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament.  Did  it  not  demand  the  death, 
and  also,  as  a  confirmation  of  the  now  completed  work  of 
redemption,  the  resurrection  and  glorification  of  Him  who 
carried  out  the  divine  decree?  These,  and  like  considera- 
tions, are  wont  to  press  tl^.emselves  on  thoughtful  persons 
who  are  in  a  state  of  unbelief.     Unexpectedly,  and  as  from 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  93 

the  clouds,  they  dart  like  lightning  through  the  soul.  Their 
"  hearts  burn  within  them."  Their  inner  man  is  a  battle- 
field. Their  whole  soul  is  in  the  greatest  commotion.  The 
entire  edifice  of  their  unbelief  is  suddenly  shaken  to  its  very 
foundation,  and  they  feel  themselves  heaving  with  great  pre- 
sentiments and  hopes.  In  them  the  experience  of  the  dis- 
ciples going  to  Emmaus  is  repeated.  At  such  moments  the 
Lord  is  S2)eaking  to  them  by  His  Spirit,  though  they  are  as 
yet  unconscious  that  He  is  so  near.  Truly,  they  do  not  find 
themselves  transported  at  once  into  the  region  of  perfect  faith, 
but,  at  least,  the  possibility  is  evident  to  them  that  they  may 
yet  find  themselves  entirely  at  home  in  the  domain  of  faith. 
III.  From  the  extraordinary  discourse  of  their  unknown 
companion,  whilst  journeying  to  Emmaus,  it  appeared  to  our 
two  disciples  that  an  eventuality  was  suggested,  the  bare 
idea  of  which  transported  them.  How  intently  and  hope- 
fully they  listen  to  every  word  which  falls  from  His  lips  ! 
But  see,  they  have  reached  their  journey's  end.  Their  friend 
makes  as  though  He  is  going  further.  But  how  beseechingly 
do  they  beg  and  pray,  "  Abide  with  us :  for  it  is  towards 
evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent/'  In  these  words  the  point 
of  time  is  indicated  in  which  the  rising  of  the  Easter  Sun 
may  be  expected  with  certainty  by  every  one.  When  even- 
ing gloom  comes  over  our  life,  then  morning  will  soon  dawn, 
but  never  before.  The  evening  shadows  already  draw  on, 
when,  with  just  light  enough  to  discover  the  insignificance 
of  our  former  life,  we  begin  to  feel  the  mental  vacuity 
experienced  in  all  that  the  world  offers  us :  when  the  sigh 
which  escaped  the  heart  of  Solomon  bursts  forth  from  ours 
— "Vanity  of  vanities!  all  is  vanity!"  and  that  which  we 
once  called  pleasure  now  appears  so  insipid,  and  worldly 
honour  only  a  child's  toy.  When  we  are  troubled  by  the 
thought  that  we  have  wholly  missed  the  aim  of  existence, 
because  life  has  been  consumed  in  the  merest  trifles,  when 


94  THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS. 

our  way  becomes  more  and  more  isolated,  because  tbe 
churchyard  sod  covers  those  we  love  best,  the  world  appears 
stranger,  colder,  and  more  desolate,  and  the  tree  of  hope 
sheds  one  withered  leaf  after  another.  Oh,  then  it  is 
that  our  day  seems  "  far  spent !"  And  if,  then,  thoughts  of 
eternity,  awakening  dread,  gather  around  our  soul,  and  we 
have  to  account  to  ourselves  as  to  what  we  have  to  shew  as 
lasting  gain  and  profit  from  our  former  life ;  if  we  have  to 
ask  ourselves,  in  the  event  of  death  knocking  at  our  door, 
either  to-day  or  to-morrow,  what  grounds  we  have  to  antici- 
pate a  favourable  sentence  when  arraigned  before  the  Judge 
of  the  world,  and  what  the  real  state  of  the  case  has  been, 
and  is  now,  about  our  "  loving  God  with  all  our  heart,"  and 
about  our  "  being  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  as  in  that 
which  is  greatest ;"  if  our  own  conscience,  as  an  inexorable 
accuser,  finds  us  guilty  of  the  most  decided  alienation  from 
God,  and  it  seem  as  though  all  openings  through  which  a 
ray  of  comfort  or  hope  could  penetrate  to  us,  were  closed ; — 
when  overtaken  by  that  bitterness  of  reflection  which  is 
inspired  by  the  feeling  that  life  with  us  has  missed  its  aim, 
which  state  of  mind  is  so  far  beyond  relief  by  all  worldly 
wisdom,  that  it  but  exposes  its  naked  impotence  by  attempt- 
ing it,  and  when  utter  despair  in  all  that  is  called  human 
consolation  or  human  help  extorts  from  the  heart  the  cry  of 
distress,  "  0  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ? " — yes,  then  evening  has 
overtaken  us !  And  oh,  what  would  then  be  to  us  such  a 
Friend  as  the  gospel  exhibits  !  But  now  that  our  necessities 
are  brought  to  our  knowledge,  to  which  such  a  Friend  per- 
fectly corresponds,  behold  a  Friend  who  declares  to  sinners 
the  forgiveness  of  sins  ;  to  doubters,  the  pledge  of  everlasting 
life,  by  pointing  them  to  His  own  resurrection ;  to  the  gaze 
of  weary  travellers,  the  blessed  rest  of  heaven  in  sure  and 
certain  prospect ;  and  who  discloses  to  the  poor  in  spirit, 


THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS.  95 

and  those  'wlio  are  mentally  famishing  here,  a  beautiful 
world,  replenished  with  the  experience  of  heavenly  joys,  and 
who  promises  to  the  solitary  and  bereaved  an  everlasting 
reunion  with  the  loved  ones  whom  they  mourn.  Oh,  now 
the  eye  of  faith  can  see  its  way,  and  it  will  be  easy  for  the 
heart  to  repeat  in  faltering  accents  the  prayer  of  the  disciples 
of  Emraaus — ''It  is  noiu  evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent; 
deserted  hy  all,  0  Thou  who  art  my  last  refuge,  abide  with 
me."  And  however  timorously  the  yearning  spirit  may 
utter  it  at  first,  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  scene  at 
Emmaus  will  be  repeated.  The  Lord  breaks  to  us  the 
bread  of  His  comfort,  of  His  peace ;  and  this  heavenly  food 
once  tasted,  we  shall  immediately  be  illumined  with  the 
Easter  Sun,  and  joyfully  exclaim,  "Jesus  lives,  and  with 
him  I  Kkewise."  By  God's  grace,  may  this  happen  to  us 
all,  and  may  the  risen  Prince  of  Peace  say  His  "Yea  and 
Amen,"  whilst  we  pray  with  the  poet — 

"  Then  break  through  our  hard  hearts  Thy  way, 
0  Jesus  !  conquering  King  ! 
Kindle  the  lamp  of  faith  to-day, 
Teach  our  faint  hearts  to  sing. 
For  joy  at  length, 
That  in  Thy  strength 
We,  too,  may  rise,  whom  sin  had  slain. 
And  Thy  eternal  rest  attain." 

Lyra  Gerrmnica. 


96  THE  PKINCE  OP  PEACE 


VIII. 

THE  PKINCE  OF  PEACE  IN  THE  EVENING 
ASSEMBLY. 

We  hear  the  royal  singer^  in  Psalm  Iv.  7,  utter  the  sigh, 
"  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  clove !  for  then  would  I  fly 
away,  and  be  at  rest."  Do  not  these  words  sound  wonder- 
fully stirring  ?  Do  they  not  awake  in  us  feelings  like  those 
that  moved  the  heart  of  the  Psalmist  ?  There  is  an  innate 
longing  in  man  to  escape  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  this 
imperfect  world  into  higher  regions.  Anxiety  about  vulgar 
and  common  objects  may  to  all  aj^pearance  stifle  the  emo- 
tion, but  even  where  man  is  not  sunk  so  low,  it  not  unfre- 
quently  lies  for  a  length  of  time  dormant  within  him.  But 
it  is  remarkable  that  this  tendency  of  the  soul  is  wont  to 
revive  just  when  the  most  beautiful,  pleasing,  and  exalted 
objects  in  nature  are  presented  to  us.  It  is  when  we  walk 
in  the  awful  stillness  peculiar  to  the  heights  of  mountain 
ranges,  or  stand  lost  in  admiration  of  the  majestic  spectacle 
of  sunrise  or  sunset,  or  indulge  ourselves  in  the  glorious 
season  of  spring,  surrounded  by  the  divine  creative  breath 
as  we  walk  about  its  blooming  scenes,  or,  again,  allow  our 
ravished  eye  to  wander  through  the  far-sparkling  host  of 
stars :  it  is  on  such  occasions  that,  ere  we  are  aware,  we 
breathe  forth  in  tender  and  gentle  accents  proceeding  from 
the  inmost  soul,  "  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove  ! "  It 
seems  to  me  as  though,  in  all  the  beauty  which  surrounds 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  97 

US,  we  saw  but  the  reflection  of  the  dawn  of  somethino: 
incomparably  more  glorious ;  but  from  which  we  are  sepa- 
rated by  an  immeasurable  gulf.  Yes  ;  and  with  this  dim 
remembrance  of  a  lost  paradise  is  mingled  the  thought,  that 
though  we  were  long  ago  deprived  of  it,  nevertheless  it  is 
not  lost  to  us  for  ever.  We  have  a  dim  presentiment  of 
the  existence  of  an  ideal  world,  and  feel  it  to  be  that  for 
which  we  were  created  and  born.  In  the  longing  language 
of,  "Oh  that  I  had  wings!"  the  soul  breathes  forth  its 
aspirations  after  it,  and  would  fain  burst  through  all  barriers 
in  order  to  soar  up  to  it,  to  take  its  place  amongst  the  angelic 
liost ;  and  with  them,  in  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  to 
discover  the  solution  of  all  problems  and  the  unsealing  of 
all  mysteries.  The  perfect  satisfaction  of  this  deep-seated 
and  mighty  longing,  at  some  future  time,  is  faithfully  pro- 
mised to  the  friends  of  God.  They  will  be  furnished  with 
"  the  wings  of  a  dove ; "  yes,  heaven  will  come  down  to 
earth,  and  they  will  blend  together  into  one  world.  If  ever 
a  delicate,  fragrant  prototype  of  that  future,  worthy  certainly 
of  the  warmest  desires,  has  appeared  on  earth,  it  was  during 
those  forty  days  when  the  Prince  of  Peace,  raised  again 
from  death  to  a  new  life,  connnuned  with  His  disciples,  clad 
in  His  glorified  body.  We  will  now  revert  in  spirit  to  that 
delightful  period  which  has,  and  not  without  reason,  been 
said  to  represent  a  foreshadowing  of  that  j^erfect  kingdom  of 
God  upon  earth  which  is  revealed  in  prophecy.  Who  would 
not  like  to  linger  on  the  spot  where  the  "  Oh  that  I  had 
wings  !  "  should  be  silenced  for  a  season  ?  because  we  should 
feel  as  though  the  passionate  impulse  which  promj)ted  its 
utterance  had  received  already  its  full  satisfaction. 

Mark  xvi.  14;  Luke  xxiv.  3G-48;  John  xx.  19,  20. 
"  Then  the  same  clay  at  evening,  behig  the  first  clay  of  the  week,  when 
the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the 
Jew.s,  came  Je.sua  unto  the  eleven,  as  they  sat  at  meat,  and  .saith  unot 

G 


98  THE  PEINCE  OF  PEACE 

them,  Peace  be  unto  you !  But  they  were  terrified  and  affriglated,  and 
supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  And  he  upbraided  them  with  their 
unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  believed  not  them  which  had 
seen  him  after  he  was  risen  ;  and  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  so  troubled? 
and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts  ?  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet 
that  it  is  I  myself :  handle  me,  and  see ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and 
bones  as  ye  see  me  have.  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  shewed  them 
his  hands  and  his  feet.  Then  were  the  disciples  glad,  when  they  saw  the 
Lord.  And  while  they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and  wondered,  he  said 
unto  them,  Have  ye  any  meat  ?  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  broiled  fish 
and  of  an  honeycomb.  And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat  before  them.  And  he 
said  unto  them.  These  are  the  words  that  I  spake  unto  you,  while  I  was 
yet  with  you  :  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were  written  in  Moses 
and  in  the  prophets  and  in  the  Psalms  concerning  me.  Then  opened  he 
their  understanding,  that  they  might  understand  the  scriptures.  And  said 
unto  them,  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to 
rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day,  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations.  And  ye  are  witnesses 
of  these  things." 

The  scene  now  brought  under  our  consideration  is  of  the 
highest  importance.  It  crowns  all  the  manifestations  which 
our  Lord  made  of  Himself  upon  the  day  of  the  resurrection ; 
the  first  real  celebration  of  Easter  by  the  company  of  the 
redeemed  discii^les,  the  concentration  into  one  focus  of  all 
the  single  rays  which  the  miracle  of  the  third  day  had  up 
to  that  time  thrown  upon  the  night  of  the  world,  and  under 
its  powerful  working,  the  faith  of  the  little  flock  in  the  resur- 
rection advanced  much  nearer  to  its  "full  maturity.''  Let 
us  contemplatively  approach  the  scene  so  full  of  meaning, 
and  observe,  in  the  first  place,  the  Easter  greeting  of  the 
risen  Saviour  ;  then  the  manner  of  His  appearing ;  and, 
lastly,  His  Easter  testimony.  ^lay  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
illumine  us  with  His  light,  and  likewise  crown  our  words 
with  a  lasting  blessing  ! 

L  Let  us  return  to  that  late  evening  assembly  whither  we 
conducted  the  disciples  from  Emmaus.  There  we  find  the 
disciples  and  the  women  still  engaged  in  earnest  conversation 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  00 

with  each  other.  But  the  lateness  of  the  hour  suggests  no 
thought  of  departure  or  of  sejiaration.  Easter-day  is  already 
dawning  brightly  above  them  ;  yet  many  of  them,  unaffected 
by  the  full  sunshine  of  evidence,  still  grope  in  the  mists  of 
doubt  and  faintheartedness.  Joy  in  the  ascendant  certainly 
ruled  the  spirits  of  the  cordially  attached  company ;  but  it 
still  was  in  some  measure  restricted  and  depressed  with  many 
a  fear  and  anxiety.  The  brethren  who  brought  such  glad 
tidings  might  still  possibly  liave  been  deceived  and  mistaken. 
And  even  if  they  were  not  so,  it  was  quite  conceivable  that 
tlie  risen  Saviour  might  not  again  appear  to  them,  that  they 
would  be  left  in  ignorance  as  to  His  person  and  their  own 
future.  Moreover,  who  could  assure  them  that  the  Jews, 
fearing  lest  the  disciples  should  make  the  people  believe  that 
their  Master  had  really  left  the  grave  alive,  would  not  fall 
stealthily  upon  them  ;  and  taking  their  lives,  would  not  en- 
deavour to  root  out  of  the  earth  the  scarce  germinating  seed 
of  the  infant  Church  of  Christ  ?  The  closely -barred  doors  of 
the  room  in  which  we  find  them  assembled  prove  that  the 
tliought  of  this  eventuality  had  made  them  anxious. 

What  a  dismal  and  horrible  thing  is  fear  !  It  hangs  like 
a  leaden  weight  on  our  energies  ;  and  like  a  concealed  but 
destructive  worm,  it  gnaws  away  all  we  cherish  as  happiness, 
joy,  and  peace.  It  covers  our  sky  with  blackness,  and  renders 
the  air  which  surrounds  us  so  dense  that  breathing  becomes 
difficult.  It  nails  us  to  a  cross  of  deep  inward  discomfort, 
and  in  the  diffident  and  retiring  man  it  quenches  his  love, 
together  with  his  cheerfulness  and  serenity.  And  is  not  this 
destroyer  the  hereditary  portion  of  us  all?  It  lurks  from 
our  very  birth  in  the  lieart  of  every  human  being.  It  may 
doze  ;  but  the  rustling  of  a  leaf  suffices  to  rouse  it.  It  reposes 
in  the  brea^>t  of  every  one  lilce  a  lightly-sleeping  lion,  and  the 
boldest  hero  will  not  maintain  that  he  knows  nothing  of  this 
monster.     Think  only  of  the  amount  of  dark   superstition 


100  THE  PEINCE  OF  PEACE 

still  found  in  the  civilised  world  ;  of  the  horror  of  appari- 
tions, from  which  few  are  entirely  free  ;  of  the  choice  of  lucky 
days  on  which  anything  is  to  be  undertaken  ;  of  the  idolatry 
practised  with  amulets,  talismans,  charms,  and  magic  for- 
mulas ;  as  well  as  of  the  importance  attached  to  a  hundred 
sorts  of  so  called  "  signs  or  prognostications,"  but  which  are 
indeed  in  themselves  destitute  of  all  significance.  Whence 
comes  all  these  ?  Fear,  the  lamentable  and  universal  dowry 
of  our  fallen  nature,  is  the  parent  of  all  these  things.  How 
truly  does  Job  speak  when  he  says,  "  Is  there  not  an  appoint- 
ed warfare  to  man  upon  earth  ?  And  are  not  his  days  also 
like  the  days  of  an  hireling?"  and  Paul,  also,  when  he  ex- 
claims, "  Without  were  fightings,  within  were  fears."  Ob- 
serve mankind.  Is  not  their  prevalent  tone  of  mind  that  of 
one  who  every  where  discovers  powers  conspiring  against  him, 
from  which  he  must  protect  himself,  against  which  he  must 
arm  himself  ?  At  one  time  he  sees  himself  threatened  with 
the  loss  of  property,  at  another  he  fears  injury  to  his  health  ; 
at  one  time  he  dreads  the  loss  of  influential  patronage,  at 
another  he  is  afraid  of  the  dissolution  of  the  dearest  ties  of 
love  and  friendship.  And  if  these  things,  or  such  as  these, 
do  not  rob  him  of  his  rest,  yet  he  is  terrified  by  the  incessant 
flight  of  time,  by  the  perception  of  the  transient  nature  of 
all  earthly  things,  the  feeling  that  old  age  is  hastening  on 
like  a  hurricane,  and  close  behind  is  the  dusky  figure  of  the 
king  of  terrors,  the  inevitable  angel  of  death  lying  in  wait 
for  him  ;  his  conscience,  moreover,  murmurs  more  than  lie 
likes  to  hear  about  a  judgment  to  come,  and  however  ear- 
nestly he  may  strive  to  silence  it,  he  never  succeeds  in  the 
attempt.  This  hateful  inmate  is  intractable,  and  scorns  every 
attempt  to  bribe'  or  stupify  him.  Thus  the  poor  offspring 
of  Adam  is  always  and  everywhere  trying  to  escape,  and 
nobody  will  wonder  that  he  dislikes  to  be  alone,  and  seeks 
to  foro-et  himself  and  to  avoid  self -reflection  in  a  whirl  of  dis- 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  101 

sipation.  And  should  this  device  succeed  for  ca  while,  fear,  that 
gloomy  demon,  always  makes  a  path  for  itself,  and  its  power 
increases  in  pro})ortion  as  man  is  thoroughly  relieved  from 
falsehood,  and  as  he  advances  in  the  line  of  truth.  I  do  not 
need  to  remind  you  in  what  degree,  or  to  what  extent  fear 
rules  the  minds  of  men  in  our  days.  How  frequently  do  we 
hear  it  said,  and  that  in  the  gravest  manner,  "  What  will  be- 
come of  society,  for  the  world  is  at  its  wits'  end  ?  "  With 
what  are  we  menaced  by  these  dark  clouds,  or  by  those  wliich 
beset  our  horizon  ?  In  our  day  there  are  assuredly  not  a  few 
among  us  who  will  feel  themselves  to  be  more  nearly  related 
to  the  disciples  assembled  within  the  barred  doors,  than  they 
ever  previously  did,  in  this  one  respect  at  least,  and  will 
more  truly  than  ever  envy  them  the  greeting  which  suddenly 
resounded  throughout  the  evening  gathering,  and  in  one  mo- 
ment transformed  all  their  anxieties  and  cares  into  the  purest 
delight. 

What  greeting  !  listen  to  it !  Whilst  the  disciples,  in  the 
greatest  perturbation,  are  still  discussing  the  events  of  the 
day,  over  and  over  again  expressing  their  doubts,  and  then 
checking  them,  communicating  to  each  other  their  apj^rehen- 
sions,  and  again  suggesting  their  hopes,  suddenly  through 
their  midst  is  heard,  in  heart-stirring  accents  well  known  to 
them,  a  distinct,  "Peace  he  unto  you!"  The  din  of  conver- 
sation is  hushed  into  solemn  stillness.  The  disciples,  taken 
by  surprise,  look  round,  and,  lo !  who  stands  before  them  ? 
Dare  they  trust  their  eyes?  Yes,  it  is  He!  Who  shall 
depict  their  joyous  amazement?  He  himself,  the  Master 
who  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again,  stands  in  their  midst. 
"  Peace "  is  the  first  word  with  which  He  hails  them ; 
''peace,"  sweet,  blessed  sound!  What  is  ''peace?''  It  is  a 
calm  in  tlie  inmost  soul, — not  the  calm  of  one  asleep  or 
dreaming,  but  when  wide  awake  ;  it  is  cheerful  self-com- 
posure, not  only  in  the  bare  possibility  of  danger  menaced, 


102  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE 

but  realised  in  its  very  presence  ;  it  is  the  deep  harmony  of 
the  soul,  not  only  in  sunshine,  but  when  the  tempest  rages 
above  us  and  all  around.  But  does  this  peace  dwell  in  the 
valley  of  tribulation  and  of  tears?  Praised  be  God  that 
thougli  for  a  season  it  was  banished,  nevertheless  it  has 
returned  to  us  again.  It  breathes  upon  you  from  more  than 
one  manifestation  in  the  history  of  Divine  providence  exer- 
cised here  on  earth.  Its  voice  is  heard  from  more  than  one 
mortal  mouth  speaking  gently  and  soothingly  to  you.  Truly 
no  human  wisdom  can  assist  you  to  this  peace.  By  no  per- 
sonal efforts  can  you  attain  it — no  earthly  incantation  can 
obtain  it  for  you.  But  there  is  One  who  alone  can  both 
wish  it  may  be  yours,  and  iikev/ise  confer  it.  Behold,  it  is 
He  who  has  just  appeared  here  wlio,  with  a  word,  has  dis- 
pelled all  fear  and  solved  all  doubts  !  Do  you  know  Him  ? 
Oh,  believe  it !  He  is  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Do  you  ask  how 
He  became  so  ?  Observe  Him  and  His  whole  demeanour ; 
He  entered  that  chamber,  not  only  to  proclaim  i^eace  to  His 
disciples,  but  to  present  a  sensible  nianifestation  of  it. 

II.  The  disciples  see  Him  standing  before  them.  "  But," 
says  the  narrative,  with  reference  to  the  majority  at  least  of 
them,  "  thei/  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  supposed 
tJtat  they  had  seen  a  spirit."  For  a  moment  they  held  Him 
to  be  an  apparition  from  another  world,  who,  in  order  to 
manifest  Himself,  had  temporarily  assumed  the  human  form. 
It  seems  also  to  be  beyond  all  question  that  the  Lord  had 
entered  the  chamber  without  any  one  of  the  bolted  doors 
having  been  previously  opened.  Some  able  commentators 
jiave  certainly  been  of  opinion  that  the  evangelist  John  only 
added  the  observation  "tuhen  the  doors  ivere  sJtiit,"  to  cor- 
roborate his  assertion  tliat  the  disciples  were  assembled  in 
great  fear.  They  think  that  the  door  was  opened  by  one 
of  the  disciples  from  Emmaus,  who  heard  Him  knock,  and 
first  recognised  His  voice.     But  the  tenor  of  the  Gospel  nar- 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  103 

rative  clearly  indicates  a  miracle  ;  and  as  such  the  entrance 
of  Christ  into  this  evening  assembly  corresponds  exactly  with 
tlie  peculiar  manner  in  wliich  He  usually  did  appear  after 
His  resurrection.  Truly,  a  bodily  form  subject  entirely  to 
tlie  will  and  beck  of  the  mind,  and  freed  from  the  limita- 
tions of  space  and  time,  is  wholly  beyond  our  luunan  com- 
prehension. But  how  many  other  things  are  there,  the 
denial  of  whose  existence  on  this  account  merely  would  be 
the  grossest  folly  ? 

Our  Lord,  immediately  upon  His  manifestation,  expresses 
Himself  in  terms  of  serious  reproach,  exactly  as  He  had 
done  with  the  disciples  of  Emmaus.  He  reproves  the  un- 
belief and  hardness  of  heart  of  His  disciples  in  not  having 
believed  those  who  had  seen  Him  since  His  resurrection, 
and  says  to  them,  "  Why  are  ye  troubled,  and  why  do 
thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts T'  This  rejDrehensory  "why" 
they  had  deserved.  After  all  that  they  had  heard  and  expe- 
rienced throughout  that  day,  their  spirit  of  incr-^lidity  was 
perfectly  unjustifiable.  But  a  rebuke  administered  with  the 
decision  and  energy  of  the  most  profound  and  most  vivid 
conviction  is  even  now,  generally  speaking,  more  calculated 
to  reclaim  sceptics  from  their  unbelief  in  evangelical  truth, 
than  the  adoption  of  an  indulgent  sympathy  with  the  tissue 
of  scruples  and  doubts  frequently  woven  merely  to  promote 
self-gratification.  The  spark  of  belief  from  the  inmost  soul 
of  the  speaker,  flashing  with  electric  velocity  through  the 
hearer,  will  far  more  probably  eflPect  conviction  and  conver- 
sion than  the  most  ingenious  argnments  and  subtle  apologies. 
Did  not  the  apostles,  during  their  missionary  labours,  exert 
the  most  convincing  influence  by  the  involuntary  exhibition 
of  their  extreme  surprise  and  righteous  anger  at  the  blind- 
ness of  those  who  heard  their  testimony,  and  still  persisted 
in  their  unbelief?  Every  one  felt  that  those  heralds  of  Christ 
were  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  what  they  pub- 


1 04  THE  PEINCE  OF  PEACE 

lislied ;  and  this  very  feeling  caused  the  strongest  defences 
to  totter  and  give  way,  which  had  until  then  resisted  the 
gospel  of  whicli  they  were  the  witnesses. 

The  decided  expression,  "  Why  come  such  thoughts  into 
your  heai^ts  ? "  did  not,  we  may  rest  assured,  fail  of  imme- 
diate effect  upon  the  assembled  disciples,  and  at  least,  it 
quickly  dispelled  the  idea  of  a  mere  ghostly  apparition. 
With  His  wonted  kindness,  our  Lord  still  shews  Himself 
condescendingly  towards  them  who  now  found  themselves 
suddenly  transported  into  a  world  to  which  they  were  not 
accustomed  ;  for,  to  calm  their  amazement  He  condescended 
even  to  stretch  out  His  hands  that  they  might  touch  them, 
and,  pointing  to  the  marks  in  His  feet  and  His  side,  to  say, 
"It  is  I  myself:  handle  me  and  see ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not 
flesh  and  hones  as  ye  see  me  have."  Evidently  our  Lord 
admits  here,  though  indirectly,  the  possibility  of  the  visible 
return  of  departed  persons  from  the  other  world  into  this ; 
for  otherwise  would  He  .not  rather  have  said,  "Ghostly 
apparitions  belong  to  the  realms  of  phantasy  ? "  He  would 
then  have  branded  as  deceptions  the  appearance  of  the 
departed  Samuel  before  Saul,  as  also  those  of  the  prophets 
Moses  and  Elijah  on  Mount  Tabor.  It  was  our  Lord's 
immediate  purpose  to  convince  the  disciples  th^.t  He  had  not 
for  the  moment  assumed  a  mere  unsubstantial  form,  but 
that  He  really  stood  before  them  in  the  very  same  body  in 
which  He  had  been  consigned  to  the  grave.  His  resurrec- 
tion was  to  serve  to  His  disciples  as  a  type,  a  pledge  of  their 
own  future  resurrection ;  and  so  it  came  naturally  to  be  a 
matter  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  reality  of  it  should 
be  placed  beyond  all  doubt.  This  subject  again  presses  upon 
us  all  the  qucr  ''ous  concerning  the  nature  and  constitution  of 
a  glorified  body,  and  here  more  especially  where  we  see  the 
risen  Saviour  taking  bread — inquiries  which  will  probably 
never  be  satisfactorily  solved  in  this  present  world.    Has  such 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  105 

a  body  really  "flesh  and  hones  '^ "  or  does  the  Lord  simply 
condescend  to  our  powers  of  conception  when  He  thus  ex- 
presses Himself?  Has  tlie  glorified  body  really  "flesh  and 
bones"  in  such  fashion  that  it  can  not  only  be  seen,  but 
also  handled  by  organs  not  yet  glorified?  Can  such  a  body 
receive  earthly  food  in  the  same  manner  as  our  own  ?  And 
if  so,  must  not  the  food  undergo  a  perfectly  different  process 
from  that  which  we  know  to  be  the  usual  one?  Or  was 
the  glorification  of  His  body  but  incipient  and  progres- 
sive at  the  moment  when  Christ  presented  Himself  to  the 
evening  assembly?  and  is  it  to  be  conceived  of  by  us  as 
only  perfectly  complete  on  the  day  of  His  ascension  ?  We 
are  here  confronted  by  mysteries  which  no  mortal  eye  can 
ever  penetrate.  But  let  us  not  be  uneasy  on  this  account. 
By  how  many  phenomena  in  creation  does  the  most  learned 
philosopher  unhesitatingly  coiifess  himself  mastered,  saying, 
"This  and  that  are  indisputable  facts,  but  it  is  utterly  im- 
possible to  explain  or  account  for  them ! "  Why,  then, 
should  not  the  invisible  spheres,  which  belong  to  those  who, 
after  death,  are  born  again  to  everlasting  life,  conceal  within 
themselves  equal,  if  not  far  greater,  mysteries  and  problems  ? 
Let  us  but  have  patience !  The  time  will  come  when  we 
shall  see  all  veils  removed,  all  contradictions  solved,  and 
Avith  prayerful  admiration  shall  we  behold  the  mysteries  of 
God  revealed  to  us  in  all  their  depths. 

When  the  disciples  at  Jerusalem  see  the  cicatrised  wounds 
in  our  Lord's  hands,  feet,  and  side,  they  then  necessarily 
believe  that  the  same  Master  stands  before  them  who  but 
lately  lived  in  their  midst.  But  their  faith  is,  nevertheless, 
again  about  to  waver,  and  now,  indeed,  as  the  narrative 
informs  us,  "for  very  joy."  If  we  but  reflect  a  while,  it  will 
not  be  difficult  for  us  to  realise  their  frame  of  mind.  If 
Christ  really  were  alive  again,  as  the  conqueror  of  death, 
then  what   grand   and   inexpressibly  blessed  consequences 


106  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE 

necessarily  followed  from  this  fact.  Then  they  who  up  to 
that  time  had  been  so  distressed  saw  a  paradise  of  peace  and 
hope  suddenly  opened  to  them,  in  which  they  might  for  ever 
forget  that  which  had  been  once  lost  through  Adam.  The 
joy  experienced  uuder  such  circumstances  was  almost  too 
much  for  them.  The  thought  in  which  they  were  absorbed 
was,  *' such  abundant  grace  to  us  poor  sinners  !  Impossible!" 
It  was,  indeed,  the  unjustifiable  surrender  of  their  privileges 
which  tended  to  prevent  the  disciples  from  believing.  But 
the  riches  of  divine  compassion  should  not,  however,  have 
been  dimmed  to  their  apprehension  by  the  feeling,  only  too 
iustly  entertained,  of  their  own  personal  unwortliiness.  If 
the  great  God  once  substituted  grace  for  justice,  it  is  to  be 
expected  that  He  will  do  so  superabundantly.  Were  the 
measure  of  His  benefits  limited  by  that  of  our  desert,  what 
might  we  anticipate  ?  Nothing  at  all.  But  we  may  expect 
everything,  even  the  highest,  since  He  has  determined  that 
free  grace  shall  prevail. 

Our  Lord  commiserates  those  who  are  still  faint-hearted 
and  despondent.  ''Have  ye  here  any  meatV  says  He.  At 
His  request  a  piece  of  broiled  fish  and  an  honeycomb  is  set 
before  Him.  And  He  takes  and  eats  it  before  them ;  and 
now,  indeed,  there  is  no  longer  any  doubt  of  the  reappearance 
of  the  Master.  John  says,  "  Then  were  the  disciples  glad 
when  they  saw  the  Lord"  Yes  ;  not  until  now  had  their 
Easter  feast  been  rung  in  with  a  full  peal.  They  feel  as  if 
they  had  risen  again  from  the  dead  themselves.  An  inex- 
pressibly blissful  peace  penetrates  their  hearts  ;  and  they  all 
could  then  unitedly  exclaim,  with  still  more  fervent  ardour 
than  Peter  on  Mount  Tabor,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  he  here ; 
let  us  erect  tabernacles"  How  far  they  then  surmised  the 
intimate  and  mysterious  connexion  of  the  peaceful  greeting 
of  their  Master  with  the  marks  of  His  wounds  which  He 
exhibited  to   them,  it  is  difficult  to  say.     Perhaps,  in  the 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  107 

latter,  tliey  recognised  at  tlie  time  no  more  than  the  proofs 
of  His  triumi^h  over  the  last  enemy,  the  king  of  terrors. 
Subsequently,  they  learned  to  think  more  highly  of  these 
scars  of  their  Eodeemer,  and  to  recognise  in  them  both  the 
pledges  and  the  seals  of  the  perfected  atonement,  and,  con- 
sequently, the  special  sources  and  fountains  from  which 
flowed  all  their  peace. 

III.  Observe,  lastly,  the  testimony  which  our  Lord  bears 
to  His  resurrection  before  this  evening  assembly.  It  is  con- 
cise, but  couched  in  highly  significant  terms.  "  These  are 
the  luords,"  He  begins,  "  which  I  spake  unto  you  while  I 
was  yet  luith  you''  He  hereby  intimates  that  His  earthly 
ministry  is  henceforth  complete,  and  His  mission  as  the 
"Servant  of  God"  is  finally  fulfilled  and  discharged.  ''For," 
He  continues,  "all  things  must  be  fulfilled  luhich  are  luritten 
in  the  laiu  of  Moses,  and  in  tJie  prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms, 
concerning  me!' .  Observe  how,  under  these  three  heads,  the 
second  of  which  comprehends  the  historical  books,  and  the 
last  the  writings  of  Solomon  and  Job,  the  whole  of  the  Old 
Testament  canon,  in  the  form  in  which  we  now  have  it,  is 
comprised,  and  how  He  has  affixed  to  it  the  seal  of  indis- 
putahle  Divine  revelation.  How,  can  any  one  be  still  dis- 
posed to  deny  that  this  Holy  Volume  really  contains  pro- 
phecies, unless  they  desire  to  accuse  the  Lord  of  glory,  not 
only  of  fanaticism,  but  also  of  lying,  nay,  of  the  grossest 
deception.  Alas !  that  in  our  days  even  believing  theolo- 
gians should  occasionally  be  found  who  are  so  imposed  upon 
by  the  ruling  spirit  of  defection,  that  they  are  not  ashamed 
to  reduce  the  Divine  prophecies  in  Scripture  to  mere  human 
prognostications,  thus  reducing  the  real  and  living  God  to  a 
level  with  a  dumb  idol.  What  further  witness  do  we  need 
that  those  dreadful  days  are  at  hand  of  which  the  Saviour 
said,  that  if  it  were  possible,  "  even  the  elect"  should  be  led 
astray?     To  us,  as  it  appears  to  me,  Jesus  Christ  remains 


]  08  THE  PEINCE  OP  PEACE 

the  authority  which  ranks  high  as  heaven  above  every  other 
claiming  to  be  such  here  on  earth.  The  canon,  which  is 
accredited  with  His  seal  on  the  face  of  it,  stands  superior  to 
all  the  defects  alleged  by  short-sighted  human  criticism,  and 
by  a  vainly  boasted  science  of  carnal  wisdom.  It  is,  indeed, 
natural  to  man  to  err,  but  whoever  follows  Him  who  could 
say,  "  I  am  the  truth,"  will  never,  never  go  astray. 

Our  Lord  "then  opened  their  understanding,  that  they 
might  understand  the  Scriptures."  He  not  only  opens  up 
the  Scripture  to  them,  but  He,  moreover,  opens  their  heart 
to  the  Scripture,  making  the  way  to  it  easy.  And  what  is 
it  that  He  presents  to  them  from  the  rich  treasury  of  the 
Divine  word  ?  What  forms  the  substance  of  His  last  words 
to  His  disciples  ?  According  to  the  view  which  many  enter- 
tain of  His  mission,  it  would  have  consisted  of  rules  of  virtue 
and  directions  for  a  holy  life.  But  after  His  resurrection 
we  nowhere  hear  Him  saying  to  His  disciples,  "  Observe 
that  which  I  have  commanded  you,  and  follow  in  my  foot- 
steps ; "  but  as  in  this  passage,  so  likewise  in  every  other, 
do  we  find  Him  pressing  home  evidence  from  the  prophetic 
writings,  insisting,  as  He  did  upon  nothing  else,  that  it  was 
God's  plan  and  determination  that  He  should  suffer  and  die ; 
and  it  is  well  known  that  all  the  selected  passages  from  the 
Old  Testament  which  treat  of  the  passion  of  the  future 
Messiah,  do  so  as  a  mediatorial,  vicarious,  and  p>ropitiatory 
tuork.  During  those  forty  days  He  never  preached  morals 
and  law.  Certainly,  as  often  as  He  appears  before  His  dis- 
ciples. He  indicates  by  the  emphatic  annunciation  to  them 
of  His  greeting  of  "  Peace,"  that  they  should  ever  henceforth 
walk  before  God  with  free  and  unburdened  consciences, 
seeing  that  the  reconciliation  was  now  accomplished.  No- 
where does  He  commission  His  apostles  to  go  out  into  the 
world  to  present  to  all  the  picture  of  virtue  which  His  life 
portrayed^  thereby  to  stir  up  their  hearers  to  a  moral  enthu- 


IN  THE  EVENING  ASSEMBLY.  J  09 

siasm  which  should  make  them  worthy  of  heaven.  But  we 
hear  Him  say  "that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins" 
shouhl  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations,  begin- 
nino;  at  Jerusalem.  He  nowhere  makes  the  vow  of  "  moral 
and  religious  self-improvement "  the  first  condition  of  en- 
trance into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  appoints  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism  as  the  initiatory  act  of  admission  into  this 
kingdom,  by  which  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  promised  to  all 
those  who  penitently  receive  it,  not  by  way  of  reward  for 
good  works  previously  done,  but  presented  gratuitously,  as 
an  earnest  and  a  necessary  preliminary  of  all  good  works. 
Thus  our  risen  Saviour  ever  places  His  offices  as  Mediator, 
Propitiator,  and  Prince  of  Peace  in  the  foreground,  in  order 
that  we  may  rest  assured  that  our  relations,  as  those  that 
are  saved  with  Him  the  Saviour,  do  not  originate  in  our 
choosing  of  Him  as  a  pattern,  but  in  our  apprehension  and 
acceptance  of  Him  as  our  Saviour  and  Redeemer.  First, 
reconciled  by  Him,  and  then  transformed  into  His  gracious 
image  !  He  is  first  our  HigJi  Priest,  our  Mediator,  and 
then  our  Pattern,  our  Guiding-star.  This  is  the  order  of 
salvation,  the  inversion  of  which  is  diametrically  to  02:)pose 
God's  plan  of  salvation.  The  experience  of  the  grace  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  within  us,  first  renders  sanctification  pos- 
sible :  for  a  perception  of  the  love  of  God  to  us  kindles 
recijH-ocated  love  to  God,  and  this  is  "  the  fulfilling  of  the 
laiu."  The  apostles  were  to  witness  to  this  truth,  and  they 
did  so.  What  is  their  whole  gospel,  but  a  testimony  of  the 
work  of  redemption  finished  by  Christ,  and  of  the  justifica- 
tion of  the  sinner  by  grace  through  faith  alone,  without  any 
act  of  merit  on  his  part  ? 

Would  that  we  likewise  heartily  rejoiced  in  this  gospel ! 
The  peaceful  greeting  of  the  Easter  Prince  still  to  this  day 
resounds  throughout  the  world,  but  it  is  a  sound  heeded  but 
by  few,  unheard  by  the  majority,  though  the  world  was 


110  THE  PKINCE  OF  PEACE,  ETC. 

never  more  destitute  of  peace  than  at  this  very  time.  False- 
liood  closes  both  its  ear  and  heart.  In  direct  opposition  to 
conscience  and  better  knowledge,  men  would  suppress  the 
acknowledgment  of  the  fact  that  sin  in  all  its  forms  is  an 
accursed  and  detested  abomination  in  God's  sight ;  that  the 
Lord  God  is  the  holy  and  righteous  Judge ;  and  that  the 
apostle  spoke  the  truth  when  he  declared,  "  It  is  appointed 
unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after  death  the  judgment"  The 
world  does  not  now  need  that  its  acuteness  should  be  less 
keen,  as  many  in  their  ignorance  believe,  but  that  its  judg- 
ment should  be  enlightened  and  quickened  to  a  percep- 
tion of  the  fact,  that  in  Christ  is  salvation.  The  advice 
best  suited  to  the  present  generation  is  that  given  to  the 
Church  at  Laodicea  —  "Anoint  thine  eyes  luith  eyesalve, 
that  thou  may  est  see;"  and  the  petition  that  may  be  recom- 
mended to  them  as  the  best  is  that  of  David,  "  Bring  my 
sold  out  of  jwison,  that  I  may  i^raise  thy  name.''  All  ye 
who  still  struggle  against  unbelief,  use  this  prayer ;  and  may 
the  Lord  in  His  mercy  enable  you  shortly,  ay,  very  shortly, 
to  unite  in  singing  Luther's  jubilant  and  triumphant  resur- 
rection song  with  the  fullest  assurance  of  faith : — 

"  Now  oui'  Pasclial  lamb  is  He, 
And  by  Him  aloue  we  live, 
Who  to  death  upon  the  tree 
Foi'  our  sakes  Himself  did  give. 
Faith  His  blood  strikes  on  our  door, 
Death  dares  never  harm  us  more  ! 

HaUelujah!" 

Lyra  Germanica. 


THOLIAS.  Ill 


IX. 

THOMAS. 

"  The  Lord  weiglieth  the  spirits,"  (Proverbs  xvi.  2.)  If,  on 
tlie  one  hand,  tliis  passage  of  Solomon  excite  alarm,  there 
is,  on  the  other,  a  consolatory  and  encouraging  aspect  in 
which  it  may  be  viewed.  Therefore,  boast  not  of  success 
in  thy  courtship  of  the  world,  for  the  world's  applause  is 
anything  rather  than  a  trustworthy  admeasurement  of  thy 
true  worth.  It  may  come  to  pass  that  the  world  shall  heap 
its  honours  upon  thee,  whilst  the  sentence  given  above  with 
reference  to  thee,  shall  be,  ''  iveighed  and  found  tucmting !" 
But,  conversely,  it  may  also  happen,  that  whilst  the  world 
passes  the  harshest  judgments  on  thee,  the  order  is  sent 
down  from  heaven  in  thy  favour,  "  Touch  not  the  apple  of 
mine  eye!"  The  judicial  eye  of  Omniscience,  incorruptible 
in  its  nature,  looks  through  a  man's  exterior  and  sounds  the 
depths  of  his  heart,  and  pierces  searchingiy  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  his  soul,  and  it  may  come  to  pass,  in  defiance  of  a 
censorious  world,  that  a  man  as  deeply  prostrate  as  David 
shall  be  indicated  and  commended  as  "a  man  after  God's 
own  heart ; "  or  one  like  Peter,  outrageously  denying  his 
Lord,  shall  become  the  object  of  the  most  tender  Divine 
love,  whilst  another,  who  goes  about  with  the  nimbus  of  a 
saint  shall  be  branded  and  cast  off  by  God  as  a  ''  whited 
sepulchre."     And  as  it  may  be  the  case  that  one  who  fre- 


112  THOMAS. 

quently  has  backslidden  may  stand  higher  in  the  sight  of 
God  than  many  another  who  appears  to  have  walked  in  the 
way  of  the  commandments  blamelessly,  so  it  is  not  to  be 
confidently  affirmed  that  he  who  makes  a  good  confession 
shall  always  rank  in  the  judgment  of  God  before  the  doubter, 
nor  even  the  believer,  before  him  who  is  still  wrestlmg  with 
the  unbelief  of  his  heart. 

In  that  passage  of  the  Gospel  which  is  about  to  engage 
our  attention  we  have  an  instance  of  a  strong  utterance  of 
unbelief ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  we  find  therein  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  appreciate  the  comfort  flowing  from  the  fact 
that  "  God  weigheth  the  spirits,"  and  that  God's  scales 
differ  from  those  of  the  short-sighted  children  of  men  who 
usually  judge  only  according  to  appearances. 

John  xx.  24-29. 

"  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not  with  them 
when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  uuto  him.  We  have 
seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them.  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands 
the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe.  And  after  eight  days 
again  his  disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas  with  them  :  then  came  Jesus, 
the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said,  Peace  be  uuto  you  ! 
Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands ; 
and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side :  and  be  not  faith- 
less, but  believing.  And  Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him.  My  Lord  and 
my  God.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou 
hast  believed :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed." 

What  rich  abundance  of  matter  for  spiritual  contempla- 
tion is  displayed  in  tliis  passage  of  the  Gospel  1  Where 
shall  we  begin  to  con&'ider  its  treasures  of  thought,  and 
where  shall  we  end  ?  It  would  be  advisable  to  limit  our- 
selves to  the  consideration  of  that  part  of  it  which  par- 
ticularly corresponds  with  our  necessities,  and  which  will, 
therefore,  have  a  direct  practical  importance  for  us.  Let 
us  consider,  then,  first,  how  the  story  of  Thomas  confirms 


THOMAS.  113 

aneiu  the  truth  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ;  then,  luhat 
a  comfortinrj  prospect  it  reveals  to  the  conscientious  doubters 
amongst  us ;  afterwards,  luhat  a  new  and  brilliant  light  it 
sheds  on  the  superliuman  dignity  of  the  person  of  Christ; 
and,  lastly,  how  it  enlightens  us  as  to  the  nature  and  essence 
of  saving  faith  !  It  has  often  happened  that  this  story  of 
the  experience  of  Thomas  has,  whilst  under  consideration, 
insensibly  been  reproduced  upon  those  engaged  in  its  medi- 
tation. May  God  in  mercy  grant  that  this  may  now  be  the 
case  ! 

I.  Many  may  have  been  rendered  uneasy  by  the  surmise, 
that  the  first  witnesses  through  whose  testimony  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ  has  been  made  known  to  us  might  have 
believed  too  hastily,  might  have  been  led  astray  by  their  ear- 
nest desire  that  their  blaster  should  live  again,  and  might 
thus  have  been  led  to  mistake  a  mere  dream  of  their  fancy 
for  a  real  manifestation.  The  story  we  are  now  enoao-ed 
upon  cuts  away  the  foundation  for  the  existence  of  such  a 
tliouglit.  We  here  see  a  man  who  certainly  could  not  be 
taxed  with  being  guilty  of  credulity.  Thomas  was  no 
dreamer,  but  a  man  in  whom  scrutinising  thought  predomi- 
nated over  imagination,  in  whom  reflection  outweighed  feel- 
ing, and  withal  of  a  hut,  passionate  temperament,  somewhat 
inclined  to  melancholy.  He  must  needs  comprehend  that 
which  he  was  to  receive  as  truth  ;  and  ere  belief  could  reach 
his  heart,  it  had  to  break  through  a  whole  redoubt  of 
arguments  and  scruples.  Thomas  was  inclined  to  look  at 
everything  rather  from  the  dark  than  the  bright  side.  Eecall 
for  a  moment  the  scene  in  John  xi.  8,  and  foUomno-  verses, 
where  our  Lord  decidedly  opposed  the  anxious  dissuasions  of 
His  disciples,  with  reference  to  His  return  to  Judea,  the  land 
of  His  enemies.  Who  was  it  that  broke  forth  in  those  words 
characterised  by  melancholy  resignation,  "  Let  us  also  go, 
that  we  may  die  with  Him  V     It  was  Thomas,  who,  in  the 

H 


114  THOMAS. 

event  of  his  Master's  going,  saw  nothing  but  ntter  destruc- 
tion in  23rospect,  together  with  the  annihilation  of  their 
hopes.  And  who  was  it  subsequently,  (John  xiv.  4,)  when 
the  Lord  said  unto  His  disciples,  "  Whither  I  go,  ye  know, 
and  the  way  ye  know,"  that  said  most  disconsolately,  and 
not  without  a  touch  of  ill-humour  and  of  melancholy  fro- 
wardness,  "  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou  goest,  and  how 
can  we  know  the  way?"  The  same  disciple  again.  Did  it 
inot  seem  as  though  he  wished  to  reflect  upon  his  Lord  for 
acting  thus  mysteriously  with  His  disciples  ?  and  were  not 
his  words  to  this  effect — "  >  e  cannot  understand  what  you 
really  mean,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  for  us  to  remain 
firm  to  your  cause?" 

Thomas  was  at  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  the  resurrection, 
and  with  the  disciples  when  they  received  the  report  of  the 
women  as  to  our  Lord's  vacated  tomb  and  the  vision  of 
angels,  which  they  insisted  upon  having  seen.  But  from  all 
that  was  reported  to  him,  he  only  considel-ed  himself  justi- 
fied in  inferring  a  knavish  trick  on  tlie  part  of  the  enemy, 
and  in  ascribing  the  pretended  vision  of  angels  solely  to  the 
lively  imagination  of  the  excited  and  credulous  women. 
Overwhelmed  by  hopele^ss  sorrow,  he  had  soon,  mucli  too 
soon,  withdrawn  himself  from  the  circle  of  his  fellow- 
apostles,  and,  with  grief  bordering  on  despair,  had  gone 
into  retirement.  By  so  doing,  however,  he  had  deprived 
himself  of  the  intense  joy  of  being  present  at  that  evening- 
assembly,  in  the  midst  ot  whicli,  when  the  doors  were  sluit, 
our  Lord  presented  Himself, — when,  by  His  exclamation, 
"Peace  be  with  you!''  He  had,  in  the  most  condescending 
and  gracious  manner,  liberated  the  disciples  from  all  sus- 
pense and  doubt.  This  is  wliat  Thomas  lost  by  his  over- 
hasty  sej^aration  ;  and  every  oth.er  wilful  separation  from  the 
"holy  catholic  Church  of  Clirist,"  and  from  "  the  communion 
of  saints,"  will  avenge  itself  similarly.     He  who  determines 


THOJIAS.  1 1  5 

on  such  a  step  renounces  blessings  for  ^vhicll  he  will  never 
find  compensation.  He  no  longer  perceives  the  "  manifold 
ivisdom  of  God  in  the  Churchy  He  does  not  rejoice  when 
one  member  of  it  in  this  or  the  other  place  is  signally  hon- 
oured. He  has  no  share  in  the  blessed  efforts  put  forth  by 
the  great  brotherliood  in  the  field  of  missions,  in  Bible 
societies,  and  otlier  works  of  faith  and  love ;  he  no  longer 
commemorates  with  the  Church  its  victories  and  triumphs. 
Innumerable  sources  of  encouragement,  adapted  to  strengthen 
his  faith  and  excite  holy  joy,  are  closed  to  him.  His  soul  is 
exposed  to  a  gradually-withering  process,  like  that  of  a  limb 
to  which  a  ligature  has  been  applied.  He  becomes  one- 
sided, contracted,  narrow-minded,  and  destitute  of  love. 
Sequestered  from  the  great  body  of  the  Church  of  Jesus, 
there  can  be  no  happiness,  no  prosperity.  The  members  of 
Christ's  Church  are  by  its  constitution  brethren,  a  closely- 
united  household,  nay,  a  living  organisation,  wherein  one 
member  is  attached  to  another,  each  helping  the  other, 
according  to  the  gift  which  has  been  imparted  to  him,  in 
order  that  "the  body  may  grow  up  into  Him  who  is  its 
Head,  making  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifyinii  of  itself 
in  love." 

On  that  hallowed  evening,  then,  Thomas  was  no  'onj,er  in 
the  circle  of  the  brethren.  The  day  following,  or  perhaps, 
even  the  same  night,  his  brethren  sought  him  in  his  retire- 
ment, and,  with  beaming  countenances,  made  known  to  him 
what  great  and  glorious  things  they  had  experienced.  Now, 
indeed,  he  will  have  believed,  and  have  opened  his  heart  to 
joy  !  One  would  have  thought  so.  But  no  ;  look  at  him  ! 
Instead  of  exulting  in  the  resurrection,  there  is  something 
in  his  manner  which  seems  to  say,  "Are  you  indeed  dream- 
ing? I  am  not  to  be  entertained  with  a  child's  tale  !  "  But 
did  Thomas  really  and  seriously  think  their  report  to  be 
such.     Far  be  it  from  me  to  say  he  did.     He  rather  seemed 


116  THOMAS. 

to  desire  purposely  to  combat  his  glimmering  faith,  for  fear 
of  a  repeated,  and  hence  more  bitter,  disappointment ;  and 
when  I  hear  him  give  expression  to  the  daring  words,  "  Ex- 
cept I  shall  see  in  His  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put 
my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand 
into  His  side,  I  will  not  believe,"  I  cannot  forbear  the  sus- 
picion that  a  secret  vexation  at  the  preference  which  his 
fellow-disciples  had  experienced,  a  sort  of  envious  feeling 
towards  them,  rather  than  unbelief,  may  have  caused  this 
obstinate  outbreak.  We  are,  however,  pleased  to  meet  this 
disciple  in  the  Easter  narrative.  He  met  the  report  of  the 
resurrection  with  all  those  doubts  which  make  belief  so  diffi- 
cult to  very  many  in  the  present  day.  Now  if  this  sceptic 
be  at  length  convinced  and  constrained  to  believe,  will  not 
his  conversion  necessarily  be  considered  as  a  leading  evidence 
of  the  historical  truth  of  the  Easter  miracle  ?  Most  certainly. 
But  how  is  it  possible  that  he  ever  should  be  convinced  ?  It 
will  be  difficult ;  but  the  harder  it  is,  the  greater  weight  will 
his  conviction  throw  into  our  scale. 

II.  Let  no  one  be  mistaken  in  the  character  of  our  Thomas. 
He  was  ^lot  a  doubter  of  the  common  and  ordinary  stamp, 
from  want  of  love  to  truth,  or  from  a  vain  longing  to  acquire 
the  reputation  of  being  "  a  man  of  superior  intelligence,"  or 
from  a  secret  aversion  to  Christ  and  His  cause.  No  one  in 
the  world  would  have  been  happier  than  he  had  he  been  able 
to  discover  a  valid  reason  for  opening  his  heart  to  the  faith 
of  his  fellow-discij^les.  However  bold  and  defiant  the  ex- 
pression, "  Except  1  shall  see  in  His  hands  the  print  of  the 
nails,"  &c.,  may  sound,  it  burst  forth,  bathed  in  tears,  from 
the  depths  of  his  inmost  soul.  The  matter  in  question  seemed 
to  him  of  such  great  and  glorious  consequences  that  he  would 
not  yield  himself  to  the  belief  of  it,  until  he  felt  perfectly 
sure  that  he  should  not  be  hurled  down  from  a  heaven  of 
happiness  into  an  abyss  of  most  dreadful  disappointment. 


THOMAS.  117 

He  was  a  doubter,  and  we  have  still  many  such,  but  he 
was  not  one  of  that  very  numerous  tribe  who  are  insin- 
cere, malevolent,  and  wdlful  sceptics,  or  tainted  with  most 
contemptible  indifference  to  the  whole  matter.  The  honest 
doubter  is  one  who  really  seeks  after  truth,  and  fully  acknow^- 
ledges  that  the  position  of  those  w4io  yield  unconditional 
faith  to  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  most  enviable,  and  sympa- 
thising with  the  man  at  Jerusalem  who  exclaimed  wishfully, 
"Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God  I" 
he  frequently  says  the  same.  But  reason,  with  its  aversion 
to  all  which  lies  beyond  the  limits  of  natural  ideas  and  con- 
ceptions ;  worldly  wisdom,  with  its  fallacious  arguments  and 
bold  dictatorial  utterances,  usurping  rule  over  a  province 
which  is  entirely  beyond  its  scope  and  above  the  judgment 
of  a  worldly  man  ;  the  authority  of  so-called  j^uhlic  opinion, 
which  in  these  degenerate  days  is  (in  Germany)  so  thoroughly 
impregnated  with  antichrist  and  unbelief;  the  illusion  of  a 
sophistical  and  juggling  criticism,  which  labours  to  cast  sus- 
picion upon  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  the  imposing  example  of 
men  distinguished  by  their  knowledge,  culture,  and  mental 
endowments,  who  stand  out  conspicuously  in  their  denial  of 
divine  revelation ;  and,  lastly,  the  fear,  partly  of  the  disgrace 
of  appearing  as  though  left  behind  in  the  progress  of  modern 
culture,  and  partly  lest  they  should  be  found  trusting  in  a 
kingdom  that  might  prove  to  be  but  a  castle  in  the  air,  and 
which  would  then  expose  the  soul  to  all  the  bitterness  of  an 
awakening  from  an  agreeable  self-illusion ;  all  this  is  well 
calculated  to  subvert  the  faith  of  many,  nay,  more,  to  deter 
them  from  accepting  the  most  self-evident  truths.  Hence 
they  stand  aloof,  and,  as  from  a  distance,  regard  the  kingdom 
of  Christian  comforts,  hopes,  and  expectations,  as  a  paradise 
to  which  they  are  attracted,  but  from  which  they  are  sepa- 
rated l)y  a  wide  gulf.  Oh  that  a  bridge  were  but  thrown 
over  by  which  they  might  safely  reach  the  beautiful  world 


118  THOMAS. 

on  the  other  side  !  They  would  indeed  be  thankful  for  it ! 
But  this  bridge  cannot  be  built  of  human  materials,  though 
they  should  be  the  very  noblest.  Nevertheless  there  is  a 
"master-builder"  who,  in  His  own  good  time,  knows  well 
how  to  help  such  doubters  as  we  have  described  to  get  across. 
A  week  has  elapsed  since  the  day  of  the  resurrection. 
We  are  again  mentally  transported  to  Jerusalem,  and  indeed 
into  the  same  circle  of  disciples,  whom  our  risen  Lord  had 
surprised  by  that  evening  visit  which  brought  all  their  grief 
to  an  end.  And,  behold,  Thomas  has  again  renewed  his 
relations  with  the  brethren !  nay,  he  could  no  longer  exist 
withdrawn  from  their  fellowship.  Solitude  had  become  more 
intolerable  to  him  than  the  closest  incarceration ;  and  the 
atmosphere  of  the  world,  alienated  from  God  and  inimical 
to  Christ,  in  which  he  moved,  had  threatened  entirely  to 
stifle  all  his  affections.  He  who  has  ever  lived  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  saints,  who  has  ever  drunk  of  the  streams  of  love 
and  comfort  which  flow  there,  knows  there  are  two  worlds, — 
an  old  one,  and  a  new  one  created  by  Christ.  And  he  will 
never  again  feel  at  home  in  the  old  one.  He  must  live 
''among  his  oivn people''  or  he  feels  sad  and  desolate.  Ask 
our  Thomas  whether  it  be  not  so  with  him,  and  he  will  de- 
clare that  it  is,  in  the  strongest  terms.  We  find  the  disci- 
ples in  the  same  house,  and  in  the  same  room,  where,  a  week 
before,  the  revelation  of  the  risen  Saviour  had  been  vouch- 
safed them.  As  they  did  then,  so  they  do  now, — they  keep 
the  doors  shut, — and,  precisely  as  might  have  been  anticipated, 
they  have  but  one  topic  of  conversation — the  Eiscn  One,  and 
the  resurrection  of  Him  who  "was  dead,  and  behold  He 
liveth,  and  beareth  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death."  Thomas 
listens  with  the  greatest  interest,  but  in  perfect  silence,  to 
the  eager  conversation  of  his  brethren.  He  had  found  leisure 
in  the  week's  interval  to  pass  his  doubts  in  review  once  more, 
and  there  is  no  question  but  that  he  had  bewildered  himself 


THOMAS.  119 

in  examining  the  foundation  of  some  of  them.  Hence  belief 
was  to  him  as  yet  impossible.  What  would  he  not  give  to 
be  enabled  to  believe !  Suddenly,  throughout  the  assembly, 
the  greeting,  so  well  known  to  most  of  them,  "  Peace  be  with 
you  ! "  resounds  again  ;  and  when  they,  joyously  surprised, 
look  np,  there  He  stands  again,  bodily  before  them.  He, 
the  highly-exalted  One,  the  desired  One,  again  sheds,  from 
His  countenance  npon  those  favoured  ones,  rays  of  com- 
placency and  love.  And  to  whom  does  He  draw  near  after 
that  He  had  so  gracionsly  greeted  the  assembly  ?  To  whom 
does  He  address  Himself  so  kindly,  so  affably  ?  May  we  be- 
lieve our  eyes?  The  unbelieving,  perverse  disciple  is  this 
time  the  object  of  His  prevenient  and  most  condescending 
marks  of  attention.  Petrified  with  astonishment,  reverence, 
and  shame,  Thomas  sees  Him  approach  !  The  erring  disci- 
ple; who  had  in  so  daring  a  manner  expressed  his  unbelief, 
may  well  cast  down  his  eyes,  trembUng  and  blushing.  Never- 
theless he  has  nothing  to  fear  !  The  dreadful  day  is  not  yet 
come  when  thousands,  like  him,  will  stand  before  the  Lord, 
trembling  with  far  greater  reason  than  he,  because  in  Him, 
of  whom  tliey  once  rebelliously  said,  "  We  luill  not  have  this 
man  to  reign  over  us,"  they  now,  to  their  utter  consternation, 
and  for  the  first  time,  recognise  the  King  of  kings,  the  Lord 
of  lords,  and  the  Judge  both  of  the  living  and  the  dead.  To 
unbelieving  Thomas  our  Lord  still  came  as  the  Prince  of 
Peace.  Thomas,  whose  heart  was  still  attached  to  Him,  had 
remamed,  even  whilst  astray.  His  beloved  disciple.  Were 
he  sick,  then  certainly  it  was  his  Master's  office  to  be  his 
physician.  Though  Thomas  did  not  believe,  the  heavenly 
spark  of  love  still  faintly  glimmered  within  him,  and  there- 
fore the  oil  of  his  faith  could  not  be  entirely  exhausted.  Our 
Saviour  addresses  him,  and  literally  repeats  Thomas's  own 
words,  ''Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands;  and 
reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side:  and  be 


120  THOMAS. 

not  faithless,  hut  believing. "  What  must  have  been  the 
disciiDle's  exjoerience  at  this  moment  ?  He  might  fain  have 
hid  his  face — nay,  have  cre^^t  into  the  very  bosom  of  the 
earth.  But  how  was  this  salutary  shame  alleviated  and 
sweetened  by  his  Lord's  infinite  kindness  and  compassion  ! 
Thomas  has  not  touched  the  wounds  of  his  Lord, — those 
signs  of  His  victory  over  death,  the  grave,  and  hell, — but  he 
has  read  in  them  his  everlasting  redemption,  and  from  this 
hour  he  no  longer  doubts  that  his  Master  is  really  alive. 
And  it  was  also  his  Lords  desire  that  His  apostle  should  be 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  historical  truth  of  the  great  fact, 
to  which  he  was  to  testify — it  being  the  basis  of  all  Chris- 
tianity.    And  this  His  aim  was  now  most  fully  attained. 

Let  us  adore  the  condescending  love  with  which  the 
Easter  Prince  met  His  unbelieving  disciple,  and  let  us 
realise  in  it  comfort  in  reference  to  those  among  us,  who, 
driven  about  by  many  a  storm  of  doubt,  cannot  yet  rea,ch 
the  port  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  If  they  desire  in  good  ear- 
nest to  reach  that  haven,  and  if  with  their  daubts  there  be 
associated  a  secret  feeling  of  the  enviable  blissful  state  of 
those  who  already  have  attained  to  faith,  and  if  withal 
there  be  united  a  v»^ell  sustained  wrestling  for  truth,  and 
fervent  prayer  for  illumination,  they  may  rest  assured  that 
they  are  not  only  taken  into  the  affections  of  the  "  Good 
Shepherd,"  but  likewise  into  His  charge  and  guidance.  For 
these  also  the  time  is  at  hand  when  their  experience  will  be 
coincident  with  that  of  their  brother  Thomas  ;  the  Lord  will, 
in  some  mode  or  other,  come  to  their  help,  or,  by  some  un- 
mistakable manifestation  of  His  wondrous  and  peace-inspir- 
ing nearness,  will  remove  the  veil  from  before  their  eyes.  It 
is  precisely  on  the  ground  of  such  happy  experiences  with 
which  He  surprises  them,  and  which  put  an  end  to  all 
uncertainty,  that  He  gives  the  solemn  injunction,  "  Be  not 
faithless,  but  believing." 


THOMAS.  121 

III.  Overcome  with  awe,  amazement,  and  veneration, 
Thomas  stands  for  some  moments  motionless  before  his  Lord. 
But  then,  raised  far  above  himself  in  a  moment  of  supernatural 
enlightenment,  with  his  knees  bending  to  the  dust,  his  heart 
pours  forth  a  confession,  higher,  richer,  and  more  compre- 
hensive than  any  that  had  ever,  till  then,  been  uttered  by 
mortal  lips.  All  the  rays  of  celestial  grandeur  which  Thomas 
had  ever  seen  stream  from  the  person  of  his  IMaster,  as  well 
as  all  the  intimations  of  His  superhuman  dignity  which, 
clinllenging  admiration,  had  ever  forced  themselves  upon 
liini  whilst  listening  to  His  sayings,  or  witnessing  His  won- 
drous acts,  now  met  and  combined  as  in  a  focus.  "  My  Lord 
and  my  God  ! "  he  exclaims — an  utterance  of  the  clearest, 
deepest,  and  liveliest  convictions.  Indeed,  it  would  be  erro- 
neous to  suppose  that  Thomas's  conceptions  of  the  divinity  of 
Christ  were  already  so  clear  and  ample  that  he  could  at  once 
have  moulded  them  into  an  accurate  dogmatical  form.  His 
utterance  was  the  expression  of  a  deep,  living  perception  and 
feeling,  which,  although  he  was  hardly  conscious  of  it  him- 
self, involved  nothing  less  than  the  dogma  of  the  real  unity 
of  the  only-begotten  Son  with  His  Divine  Father.  The  words 
of  Thomas,  moreover,  do  not  admit  of  doubt ;  they  leave  no 
room  for  misconstruction.  They  testify  clearly  and  decidedly 
to  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  form  one  of  the  mighty  rocks 
on  which  those  who  will  not  believe  Christ  to  have  been 
more  than  man,  and  who  even  pretend  that  the  Bible  is  on 
their  side  in  this  matter,  must  see  their  opinion  totally 
wrecked.  Let  the  adversaries  of  our  faith  call  in  to  their 
aid  all  the  acuteness  and  wit  which  they  possess,  and  ex- 
haust all  their  arsenals  of  learning  and  criticism,  the  expres- 
sion, "  My  God,"  stands  there  now  as  it  has  done  from  the 
beginning,  and  certaiuly  allows  of  no  other  explanation  than 
that  which  the  letter  demands.  Many,  in  despair,  have  be- 
come almost  desperate  about  this,  and  hnve  not  been  ashamed 


1 22  THOMAS. 

to  endeavour  to  extricate  themselves  from  their  difficulties 
by  the  absurd  pretence  that  Thomas  did  not  call  Jesus  his 
Lord  and  his  God,  but  that,  adopting  the  very  bad  practice 
of  modern  days,  he,  in  this  expression,  only  gave  vent  to  his 
surprise  at  the  reappearance  of  his  Master, — as  if  such  an 
abuse  of  the  Divine  name  had  been  as  general  then  in  Judea 
as  it  is  now  in  Europe,  and  as  if  an  Israelite  would  not  have 
recoiled  with  horror  from  so  frivolous  an  abuse  of  the  sacred 
name — "My  Lord  and  my  God" — as  from  a  blasphemy 
wdiich  deserved  stoning !  But  thus  does  God  abandon  those 
who  wilfully  oppose  His  Word,  and  faith  in  it,  to  the  mad- 
dest, wildest  conceits.  Even  at  the  present  time  they  are 
visited  with  this  preliminary  judgment,  that  they  render 
themselves  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  all  reasonable  men  ; 
nay,  more,  absurd  in  those  of  children.  ^Enough,  Thomas 
had,  in  an  unequivocal  and  becoming  manner,  done  hom- 
age to  the  Lord  Jesus  as  his  Divine  Lord,  and  as  the 
heavenly  King,  whom  all  the  prophets  had  most  explicitly 
pointed  out  as  the  future  Messiah.  In  his  confession,  Tho- 
mas most  justly  places  the  risen  Saviour  upon  the  throne  of 
the  eternal  Majesty,  and  assigns  to  His  pierced  hands  the 
reins  of  universal  government  as  belonging  to  Him  the  Lord 
of  all.  And  what  is  our  Lord's  bearing  when  the  disciple 
falls  at  His  feet  with  this  mighty  testimony  ?  Does  He  de- 
cline the  lofty  title  reverentially  addressed  to  Him  by  the 
disciple  as  one  too  high,  and  not  justly  employed  with  refe- 
rence to  Him  ?  Does  He  recoil  from  the  disciple  who  thus 
acknowledges  Him,  as  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  afterwards 
from  the  Lystrians,  with  the  words,  "  Thomas  !  thou  blas- 
phemest !  thy  Lord  and  thy  God  is  in  lieaven,  and  I,  like 
thyself,  am  but  His  servant?"  By  no  means.  The  Lord 
accepts  the  testimony  in  its  full  scope  and  weight,  and  does 
so  with  exalted  calmness ;  nay,  He  even  corroborates  it  by 


THOMAS.  123 

saying,  "  Now,  Thomas,  believest  thou  ? "  Be,  then,  con- 
vinced that  it  was  with  good  reason  that  we  said  our  story 
would  throw  a  new,  refulgent  light  upon  the  person  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  His  more  than  earthly  dignity.  It  most 
certainly  appears  from  it  that  the  titles  Lord  and  God  are 
ap2)licable  to  Him  in  their  full  and  unimpaired  import ;  for 
if  it  were  not  so,  Thomas  must  have  been  mad  to  have  bowed 
the  knee  whilst  saying  it ;  and  Jesus  himself  would  have 
been  guilty  of  blasphemy,  a  crime  punishable  with  death,  in 
receiving  such  homage.  This  is  the  alternative ;  and  there 
remains  nothing  o'pen  to  us  more  rational  than  to  bow  the 
knee  to  Him  also,  and  to  unite  in  the  reverential  exclama- 
tion, "Ml/  Lord  and  my  God!'' 

IV.  Our  Lord,  in  reply  to  Thomas's  confession,  says,  "  Be- 
cause thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed;  blessed  are 
they  ivhich  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed  /"  A  reply 
full  of  meaning,  but  which,  nevertheless,  involves  something 
that  at  the  first  glance  might  astonish  us.  Was  Thomas, 
then,  who  only  believed  because  he  had  seen,  not  blessed? 
Truly,  indeed,  we  see  him  in  an  ecstasy  of  joy  and  delight  at 
the  sight  of  his  risen  Master.  But  the  word  "blessed" 
signifies  far  more  than  such  an  exhibition  of  rapturous  joy. 
It  indicates  perfect  content  in  the  absence  of  all  desire — 
sabbatic  peace ;  now  the  state  of  mind  in  which  our  disciple 
found  himself  difi'ered  from  this,  inasmuch  as  Thomas, 
from  want  of  a  thorough  perception  of  his  own  need  of 
salvation,  was  unable  to  perceive  the  real  aim  of  Christ's 
incarnation,  and  could  not  appreciate  what  he  really  possessed 
in  a  living  Saviour.  If  his  consciousness  of  his  condemna- 
tion before  God  had  been  more  thorough  and  comprehensive 
than  it  now  was,  and  if  he  had  had  a  deeper  insight  into  the 
nature  of  sin,  as  well  as  into  the  holiness  of  God,  and  of  His 
inviolable  and  irrevocable  law,  ho  would  never  have  been 


1 24  THOMAS. 

scandalised  by  the  sufieiings  and  death  of  his  Master,  but 
would,  on  the  contrary,  have  recognised  and  seen  it  to  be  an 
absolute  necessity  for  the  expiation  of  the  sin  of  the  world, 
and  for  the  mediatorial  redemption  of  the  common  guilt  of 
the  human  race.  The  sacrifice  of  the  Mediator  under  the 
curse  of  the  law  would  long  since  have  appeared  to  him  to 
be  an  indispensable  requisite  of  the  Divine  work  of  redemp- 
tion, and  even  before  the  notification  of  the  resurrection  had 
reached  him,  he  would  have  been  thoroughly  confident  that 
the  Lord  had  risen ;  nay,  that  He  must  live  again,  because 
it  was  perfectly  inconceivable  that  God  should  allow  the 
Shej^herd  of  the  sheep  to  be  imprisoned  in  the  tomb,  after 
He  had  blamelessly  fulfilled  His  saving  mediatorial  work  on 
the  cross.  If  the  risen  Saviour  had  then  met  hiin,  he  would 
have  greeted  Him  with  inexpressible  joy,  but  w^ithout  being 
surprised  at  His  reappearance,  or,  at  least,  without  conster- 
nation. The  disciple  would  have  been  sure  the  Eedeemer 
had  risen  even  before  He  presented  Himself  in  person  to 
him  ;  and  if  Thomas  had  read  in  the  healed  wounds  of  the 
Messiah,  as  out  of  divinely-attested  documents,  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  finished  work  of  redemption,  accomplished  for 
his  sake,  he  would  only  have  rejoiced  to  find  himself  thereby 
strengthened  in  consolations  which  he  had  before  participated 
in  and  enjoyed.  Thus,  you  see,  had  Thomas,  under  the 
circumstances  suggested,  believed  before  he  saw,  when  faith 
w^as  turned  to  sight,  he  would  have  been  truly  blessed, 
whereas  we  now  see  him  only  intoxicated  with  joy,  and 
almost  lost  to  self-possession  through  ecstatic  emotion. 

Our  Lord's  declaration,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed''  admits  of  no  application  to  us, 
save  as  it  confirms  and  blesses  the  conditions  of  belief  which 
are  now  usual  and  normal,  and  leaves  us  without  a  motive 
for  envying  those  who  once  saw  our  Lord  personally  and 


THOMAS.  ]  25 

bodily  livino-  upon  earth.  The  faith  of  Christians  of  the 
present  day  is  not  based  upon  their  senses.  It  rests  on  the 
threefohl  witness  of  the  Word,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of 
inward  spiritual  experience  ;  and  its  operation  is  thereby 
rendered  only  so  much  the  more  certain  and  efficient.  En- 
lightened by  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  feel  ourselves  to  be  poor 
sinners,  needing  grace,  mediation,  and  redemption.  But  this 
iieed  is  met  by  the  gospel  message  in  the  Saviour's  invita- 
tion— "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  and  I  luill  give  you  rest."  To  see  Him  in  spirit,  to 
hear  His  voice,  to  perceive  the  aim  of  His  mission,  and  to 
feel  in  the  inmost  soul,  "  Thou  art  my  Saviour,  or  there  is 
none,"  are  one  and  the  same  thing.  We  feel  ourselves  cast 
on  Him,  and  we  recline  confidently  on  His  heart ;  and  as 
we  recognise  the  sun  by  the  bright,  warms  rays  which  issue 
from  it,  to  illumine,  fructify,  and  quicken,  so  also  do  we 
recognise  Him  as  the  Son  of  God  and  our  Mediator,  by  the 
heavenly  peace  with  which  He  refreshes  our  fainting  souls, 
the  sanctifying  grace  and  power  which  He  infuses  into  us, 
and  by  the  courage  for  life  and  death  with  which  He  arms 
us.  Thus  do  we  believe  luithout  seeing,  and  that  which  we 
are  permitted  to  behold,  either  in  remarkable  answers  to 
prayer,  or  in  wondrous  providential  aid,  or  even  in  trances 
and  visions,  we  gratefully  welcome  as  a  refreshing,  vivifying, 
and  strengthening  addition  to  our  faith.  But  our  faith  is 
not  founded  upon  it;  it  subsists  without  it,  resting  on  stronger 
and  firmer  pillars. 

May  the  Lord  assist  us,  where  the  work  has  not  already 
been  done,  to  that  faith  which  is  a  fruit  of  the  right  percep- 
tion of  that  which  ought  to  be  believed  !  John  says,  "  It  is 
the  Spirit  that  beareth  luitness,  because  the  Spirit  is  truth" 
May  the  deep  meaning  of  these  words  of  the  apostle  be  dis- 
closed to  us  all  by  i)pv^< -ni]  oxporionro  !     The  key  to  all  the 


126  xflOMAs. 

treasures  of  grace  is  prayer.  Let  us,  therefore,  heartily  join 
in  the  longing  desire  which  rings  in  the  beautiful  words  of 
the  old  hymn: — 

"  Yet  grant  the  eye  of  faith,  0  Lord ! 
To  pierce  within  the  Holy  Place, 
For  I  am  saved  and  Thou  adored, 
If  I  am  quicken'd  by  Thy  gi-ace. 
Behold,  0  King,  before  Thy  throne 
My  soul  in  lowly  love  doth  bend. 
Oh,  shew  Thyself  her  gracious  Friend, 
And  say,  '  I  choose  thee  for  mine  own.'  " 

W.  C.  Dessler  1Q^2.—Lyra  Germanica. 


THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.         127 


THE  APPEAEANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

*' Ye  a7'e  not  of  the  luorld,  hut  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the 
world!'  Thus  did  the  Lord  address  His  disciples  in  John 
XV.  19  ;  and  in  so  doing  all  who  belong  to  Him.  They  are 
in  the  world,  but  no  longer  of  the  world,  since  they  have  ex- 
perienced a  thorough  spiritual  transformation.  They  form 
a. new  race,  though  commingled  with  the  old  one.  Not  as 
though  they  had  been  withdrawn  from  the  condition  and  re- 
lations of  secular  life.  In  their  domestic,  professional,  and 
social  engagements  you  will  hardly  be  able  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  better  part  of  the  children  of  the  world; 
nevertheless  they  walk,  as  these  dimly  perceive,  as  strangers 
among  them.  In  their  opinions,  sentiments,  and  bias  of  such, 
they  differ  essentially  from  them.  Baptised  and  imbued  with 
another  spirit,  they  love  and  suffer,  reason  and  determine, 
work  and  rest,  mourn  and  rejoice,  in  a  totally  different  man- 
ner. Where  they  act  the  same  as  their  brethren  in  the  flesh, 
still  what  they  do  is  totally  different  in  character.  They 
travel  a  higher  road,  they  breathe  a  different  atmosphere. 
An  opportunity  will  now  be  given  us  to  take  a  broader  view 
of  that  new  divinely-transformed  life ;  and  God  grant  that 
we  may  be  attracted  by  it,  and  personally  enjoy  it ! 

John  xxi.  1-14. 

"  After  these  things  Jesus  shewed  himself  again  to  the  disciples  at  the 
sea  of  Tiberias ;  and  on  this  wise  shewed  he  himself.     There  were  together 


123         THE  APPEAEA^CE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  N"athanael  of  Cana  in 
Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other  of  his  disciples.  Simon 
Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  nnto  him,  We  also  go 
with  thee.  They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  a  ship  immediately;  and 
that  night  they  caught  nothing.  But  when  the  morning  was  now  come, 
Jesus  stood  on  the  shore ;  but  the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 
Then  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Children,  have  ye  any  meat  ?  They  answered 
him.  No.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the 
ship,  and  ye  shall  find.  They  cast  therefore  ;  and  now  they  were  not  able 
to  draw  it  for  the  multitude  of  fishes.  Therefore  that  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved  saith  unto  Peter,  It  is  the  Lord.  Now,  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that 
it  was  the  Lord,  he  girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him,  (for  he  was  naked,)  and 
did  cast  himself  unto  the  sea.  And  the  other  disciples  came  in  a  little  ship, 
(for  they  were  not  far  from  land,  but  as  it  were  two  hundred  cubits,)  drag- 
ging the  net  with  fishes.  As  soon  then  as  they  were  come  to  land,  they 
saw  a  fire  of  coals  there,  and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread.  Jesus  saith  imto 
them.  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have  now  caught.  Simon  Peter  went  up, 
and  drew  the  net  to  land  full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  : 
and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the  net  broken.  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  Come  and  dine.  And  none  of  the  disciples  dvirst  ask  him, 
AVho  art  thou  ?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord.  Jesus  then  coraeth,  and 
taketh  bread,  and  giveth  them,  and  fish  likewise.  This  is  now  the  third 
time  that  Jesus  shewed  himself  to  his  disciples  after  that  he  was  risen  from 
the  dead." 


What  can  be  more  tender,  significant,  and  touching  than 
this  Gospel?  The  reflection  of  another  world  is  spread  over 
it.  It  is  no  fiction — it  is  historical — and  bears  in  all  its  fea- 
tures the  impress  of  truth,  stamped  with  a  distinctness  tran- 
scending  that  of  almost  every  other  history.  But,  notwith- 
standing this,  the  historical  incidents  present  at  the  same 
time  to  the  spiritually-enlightened  eye  an  allegory,  rich  in 
thought,  in  whicli  the  object  symbolised  is  notliing  less  tlian 
the  whole  Christian  life,  in  all  its  most  essential  outlines  and 
relations.  And  it  is  from  this  point  of  view  that  we  purpose 
treating  the  engaging  story.  The  life  of  believers  is  revealed 
to  us  in  it— 1  St,  as  one  issuing  in  eternal  results ;  2dly,  as 
one  of  a  holy  brotherhood  ;  3dly,  as  a  life  of  cheerful  con- 
tentment with  our  earthly  lot ;  4thly,  no  less  than  one  of 


THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.         129 

uninterrupted  heart-elevating  expectancy ;  5tlily,  as  a  life  in 
which  faith  is  alternately  tried  and  victorious  ;  and,  Gthly,  as 
a  life  of  blessed  anticipations,  witli  reference  to  both  this 
•world  and  the  next.  Let  us  contemplate  this  life  of  faith  in 
these  aspects,  and  may  God  grant  that  the  longer  we  live 
the  more  we  may  realise  it ! 

I.  The  scene  is  in  Galilee,  where  our  Lord  desired  His 
disciples  to  meet  Him,  and  probably  in  the  fishing  village  of 
Bethsaida.  What  great  things  can  we  have  to  seek  here  ? 
More  indeed,  beloved,  than  the  un imposing  place  would  lead 
us  to  expect.  We  behold  a  spiritual  Pleiades,  a  constella- 
tion which  will  one  day  spread  its  enlightening  and  vivify- 
ing splendour  over  the  whole  world.  In  Simon  Peter  and 
his  six  companions  we  see  the  members  who  constitute 
this  constellation.  Listen  to  the  topics  upon  which  this 
small  circle  of  friends  are  engaged  in  such  animated  conver- 
sation. It  is  true  they  incidentally  speak  about  their  nets, 
the  fish  which  they  have  caught,  about  the  market,  and  the 
earning  of  their  daily  bread ;  but  besides  these,  and  with  far 
deeper  interest,  they  talk  of  something  else.  What  have 
these  intimate  friends  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  died,  slew 
death,  and  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light,  not  gone 
through !  What  incomparable  treasures  of  the  soul,  com- 
prised in  elevating  recollections  of  the  past,  in  a  hapj^y 
consciousness  of  their  present  filial  relation  to  God,  and  in 
thrilling  expectations  for  the  future,  do  they  cherish  \  If 
ever  man's  life  may  be  said  to  have  been  full  of  instruction, 
tiien — who  will  dispute  it? — theirs  vfi\^.  In  how  infinitely 
hi-^dier  a  deoree  was  theirs  such,  than  the  life  of  thousands 
amongst  us,  judging  from  the  tone  of  conversation  pervading 
our  social  meetings.  But  all  that,  in  the  possession  of  which 
these  friends  at  Bethsaida  rejoiced,  is  essentially  the  in- 
heritance of  the  whole  Church,  which  has  attached  itself, 
and  will  continue  to  attach  itself,  to  these  disciples,  as  to  a 

I 


130         THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

spiritual  centre  of  crystallisation.  I  do  not  merely  mean  the 
Chnrch  of  the  orthodox,  but  also  of  all  the  hearty  believers 
baj^tized  into,  and  imbued  witl],  the  spirit  of  Christ ;  in 
whose  diaries  are  to  be  found  the  records  of  something  be- 
yond their  mere  secular  experience  and  engagements  in 
every-day  life ;  where,  in  a  parallel  column  to  the  history  of 
their  earthly  bodily  life,  there  is  another  of  higher  im- 
portance— the  history  of  their  souls.  They  have  to  tell  one 
another  of  matters  relating  to  an  invisible  world  in  wdiich 
they  live, — of  views  of  eternity  wdiich  delight  their  souls, — 
of  divine  leadings  and  revelations  in  answers  to  prayer,  aud 
in  wondrous  providential  aids  vouchsafed  them, — of  the 
possession  of  more  than  earthly  treasures,  as,  for  instance, 
the  impression  of  divine  grace  within  them, — a  joyful,  child- 
like confidence  in  the  Almighty,  of  a  powerfully  germinating 
seed  of  future  perfect  sanctity  implanted  in  the  very  centre 
of  their  being, — and  of  many  other  things  incomparably  de- 
lightful!  Enough;  the  life  of  faith  alone  has  a  real  im- 
perishable purpose,  worthy  to  be  striven  for  by  man,  created 
as  he  is  for  immortality.  Where  faith  is  wanting,  the  most 
sjDlendid  earthly  lot  is  poor  and  empty,  and  the  most  valuable 
caro^o  with  which  our  bark  of  life  can  be  freighted  is  but 
empty  chaff  to  be  driven  before  the  wind. 

II.  The  men  whom  we  find  at  Bethsaida,  besides  Simon 
Peter,  are  Thomas,  Nathanael,  John,  James,  and  two  whose 
names  are  not  recorded.  In  them  is  rej^resented — albeit  in 
the  germ — the  communion  of  saints,  which  essentially  difiiers 
from  what  the  world  calls  friendship  and  fraternity ;  and  of 
its  fervour  and  depth  no  one  has  any  idea  who  has  not  him- 
self been  ac'mitted  to  it.  When  the  whole  human  race  shall 
belong  to  this  communion,  the  golden  age  will  have  come. 
There  is  much  talk  in  our  days  about  a  great  "bond  of 
brotherhood,"  in  which  the  whole  world  should  combine, 
thougli  there  never  before  was  so  much  hatred,  discord,  and 


THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.  131 

party-spirit  to  be  met  with  on  earth  as  there  is  just  at  this 
time.  Men  dream  of  bringing  about  this  universal  frater- 
nisation without  Christ  and  His  gospel ;  and  it  never  occurs 
to  them  that  such  a  hope  is  an  attempt  to  "  gather  grapes 
of  thorns  and  figs  of  thistles,"  (Matt.  vii.  1 6.)  The  natural 
man  deceives  himself,  when  he  imagines  that  he  is  able  to 
seek  something  other  than  himself,  and  what  beloiiors  to  self. 
His  strongest  impulse  to  undertake  and  to  carry  out  any 
enterprise  is,  and  remains,  "  egoism,"  which  is  no  more  to  be 
banished  by  good  resolutions  than  by  grand  and  high-sound- 
ing words.  Tell  us,  you  who  are  still  growing  on  the 
natural  trunk,  whether  you  have  any  idea  of  a  community  in 
which  all  struggle  is  at  an  end,  except  the  contest  who  shall 
deny  himself  most  for  our  Saviour's  sake,  or  who  shall  outvie 
the  other  in  unreserved  submission  to  Him, — of  a  community 
in  which  all  its  members  are  divested  of  envy,  save  envy  that 
a  better  opportunity  had  been  given  to  others  than  to  us  to 
practise  their  active  self-denial, — of  a  community  in  which 
no  desire  more  rules  the  soul  than  this  one,  that  Christ 
should  increase  and  we  decrease ;  and  where  the  brethren 
are  no  longer  known  according  to  the  flesh,  but  are  lovingly 
embraced  as  participators  in  a  common  salvation,  as  those 
who  with  us  rest  in  the  bosom  of  the  same  love,  and  are 
journeying  hand-in-hand  with  us  towards  the  same  common 
liome,  the  same  Father's  house, — a  community  from  which 
lying  and  deceit,  the  bane  of  worldly  friendships,  are  for 
ever  banished, — a  fraternity  in  which  all  that  a  man  has  is 
looked  upon  as  a  divine  loan,  interest  on  which  is  payable  in 
services  of  love.  Here,  indeed,  ivhat  of  earthly  good  has 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  man  is  accepted  gratefully ;  but  in 
comparison  with  the  "  treasure  in  heaven,"  it  is  reoarded 
only  as  a  fund  to  defray  expenses  in  our  sliort  journey 
through  the  vale  of  tears  Be  assured  that  this  is  no  fond 
imagination,  no  unattainable  ideal,  glimmering  from  afar  • 


132         THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

but  an  organisation  existing  within  the  range  of  fact  and 
reality,  which  throughout  all  ages  is  recognised  by  the 
initiated  as  the  heavenly  and  imperishable  kernel  which  is 
preserved  within  the  shell  of  the  visible  Church,  and  forms 
the  germ  of  that  glorified  race  of  men,  in  whom  hereafter 
the  saying  will  be  fulfilled  in  its  highest  and  most  glorious 
sense  :  "Man  is  become  as  one  of  us;"  and  the  saying  of 
John,  ''As  He  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world."  The  new  crea- 
ture, created  after  God  "  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness," 
has  not  now  to  be  discovered  for  the  first  time,  but  has 
already  long  existed,  though  at  present  only  in  a  state  of 
development,  and  is  found  in  all  those  who  are  truly  "in 
Christ  Jesus." 

HI.  The  evening  is  closing.  Then  Peter  says  to  his  com- 
panions,  "  /  go  a-fishing."  "  We  also  go  tuith  you,"  was  the 
rej^ly ;  and  no  sooner  said  than  done.  Until  they  receive 
further  instructions,  tliey  resume  their  former  simple  occu- 
pation. And  why  should  they  not  willingly  take  to  their 
nets  again,  if  such  be  their  Lord's  will  ?  The  Christian  life 
of  faith  is  here  represented  to  us  as  one  of  cheerful  content- 
ment luith  our  earthly  lot  and  calling.  Whatever  be  the 
honest  business  and  work  in  which  we  are  engaged,  we  pro- 
secute it  with  cheerful  spirit  and  energy.  For,  in  the  first 
place,  we  shall,  whilst  performing  it,  regard  it  as  but  for  a 
season,  from  the  consciousness  of  our  far  higher  destiny. 
But  then  it  mil  be  performed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  assigns  to  every  man  his  post,  and  measures  out 
to  each  his  field  of  labour,  who  can  be  served  just  as  well  by 
the  day-labourer  as  by  the  discharge  of  any  other  duty,  and 
whose  name  can  be  praised  and  glorified  in  the  most  circum- 
scribed sphere.  Furthermore,  duty,  where  incumbent,  is  to 
be  performed  without  desiring  fame  or  acknowledgment ; 
for  liow  does  all  honour  with  which  the  world  could  reward 
us  fade  before  that  which  we  already  possess,  "  whose  names 


THE  APPEAEANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.  133 

are  written  in  heaven  !"  And  lastly,  we  work  at  it  without 
grief  or  anxiety,  as  if  the  apostle's  encouraging  declaration 
were  still  heard  by  us,  "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son, 
hut  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  hoiu  shall  he  not  with 
him  also  freely  give  us  all  things  T'  Listen  to  what  trans- 
pires in  the  houses  and  cottages  around  you.  Oh  what  ill- 
huuiour,  discontent,  sighing,  murmuring  and  complaining  is 
there  everywhere  !  What  is  the  cause  of  all  this  ?  Simply 
because  people  have  missed  the  gospel  source  of  joy  and 
peace.  It  is  not  the  outward  situation  in  which  any  one  is 
placed,  no,  unbelief  is  the  first  and  most  efficient  cause  of  all 
the  misery  in  the  world,  and  the  real,  inward,  cancerous 
afiection  which  preys  upon  the  whole  human  race. 

IV.  It  is  a  question  whether  all  the  disciples  at  Bethsaida 
were  fishermen.  But  they  all  go  willingly  on  the  lake. 
"What  wonder  ?  Not  only  does  their  Master's  promise, 
^'  After  that  I  am  risen,  1  luill  go  before  you  into  Galilee," 
still  ring  in  their  ears,  but  they  are  attracted  more  powerfully 
by  the  remembrance  of  all  the  glorious  incidents  which  they 
had  previously  been  permitted  to  witness  on  the  lake  to  which 
they  are  now  about  to  go.  The  confession  may  not  mutually 
be  made  aloud,  but,  individually,  they  are  preoccupied  with 
the  thought  that  possibly  something  they  have  longed  for 
may  now  take  place.  Thrilling  anticipations  course  through 
their  hearts,  and  all  true  Christians  of  the  present  day 
experience  similar  emotions.  The  life  of  faith  is  one  of 
uninterrupted  heart-elevating  expectancy.  Of  what  ?  Do 
they  also  expect  their  Lord  to  present  Hhnself  to  them 
bodily?  Far  from  it.  But,  relying  on  His  word,  that  He 
will  be  with  His  own  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,  and  on 
many  other  definite  promises  and  assurances,  they  are  ever 
more  or  less  anxious  to  observe  how  He  will  help  and  deliver 
them, — here  through  His  word,  or  in  some  other  way,  giving 
them  counsel ;  in  other  cases,  undoing  the  tangled  knots  in 


134         THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

life, — in  noting  how  He  will  promote  the  work  nndertaken 
for  His  gloiy,  and  crown  it  with  success  and  blessing ;  how 
He  will  overcome  this  and  that  hindrance  to  the  prosperity 
of  His  kingdom ;  or  in  what  other  manner  He  will  reveal 
His  gracious  presence,  and  prove  His  mercy  and  His  love. 
How  pleasant  it  is  to  anticipate  the  visit  of  a  valued  human 
friend  !  What  must  they  have  felt  when  expecting  Him  who 
reigns  supreme  in  heaven  as  being  about  in  some  way  or 
bther  to  display  His  favour  and  power  to  them  !  What  could 
l>e  more  elevating  and  delightful !  It  is  to  occupy  a  fixed 
position  in  the  vestibule  of  the  heavenly  throne-room,  and  to 
stand  constantly  waiting  expectant  before  Immanuel's  door. 
And  what  does  king  David  say  from  his  own  experience? 
''They  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  not  he  put  to  shame ;" 
and  Solomon,  prompted  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  adds,  "  The  hope 
of  the  righteous  shall  he  gladness." 

Yes,  it  is  so.  But  it  does  not  always  happen  at  the  very 
time  that  we  could  have  wished  it.  Our  fishermen  cruised 
about  the  lake  the  whole  night ;  but  they  take  nothing  in 
their  nets,  nor  is  any  appearance  vouchsafed  them,  as  they  had 
secretly  hoped.  But  the  Christian  has  to  maintain  his  self- 
composure  under  heavier  trials  than  these.  It  may  some- 
times appear  to  him,  as  though  he  were  wholly  disregarded 
by  the  Lord,  and  as  though  his  deeds,  prayers,  and  sufierings, 
were  so  likewise.  Such  experiences  are  indeed  bitter,  but 
they  are  salutary.  Ask  the  believers  of  every  age  when  they 
have  become  most  thoroughly  conscious  of  their  un worthiness 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and  when  they  have  most  fervently  and 
ardently  repeated  the  words  of  the  Canaanitish  woman, 
"  Truth,  Lord,  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from 
their  master's  table  ;"  ask  them,  when  they  have  been  wont, 
in  the  exercise  of  bare  faith  alone,  to  cling  to  the  sure  word 
of  prophecy,  and  when  their  heart  vented  itself  in  the  words 
of  David,   "  Unless  thy  laiu  had  heen  my  delight,  I  should 


THE  APPEAEANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.  135 

then  have  perished  in  nuj  affliction"  (Ps.  cxix.  92  ;)  ask  when 
they  first  experienced  in  themselves  not  only  the  pain,  but 
likewise  the  blessing,  and  healing  powers  of  wrestling  with 
God  as  did  Jacob  ;  when  they  were  first  able  to  resign 
themselves  in  perfect  submission  to  the  will  of  God  with  an 
unconditional  surrender  ;  ask  all  this,  and  they  will  all,  with 
one  voice,  answer,  "  Not  when  the  Lord  allowed  everything 
to  fall  out  as  we  wished,  but  then,  when  He  hid  His  face 
from  us  ;  when  we,  with  other  tears  than  those  which  the 
poet  of  this  world  sheds,  '  sat  weeping  on  our  bed  through- 
out the  wearisome  nights ;'  nay,  when  we  seemed  as  the 
forsaken  and  rejected,  'those  whom  the  Most  High  had  wholly 
deserted.'  "  But  they  will  also  add,  with  countenances  beam- 
ing with  delight,  "  The  time  of  divine  consolation  has  always 
returned."  The  life  of  believers  is  one  in  tvhich  faith  is 
alternately  tried  and  victorious. 

V.  Early  day  is  dawning  over  the  lake  of  Gennesareth. 
There  emerges  from  the  morning  mist  the  form  of  a  man  on 
the  distant  shore.  Our  fishermen  take  him  to  be  a  fish-dealer, 
one  of  those  who  daily  come  out  at  dawn  from  the  town  to 
meet  the  boats,  and  make  their  purchases.  But  lue  know  the 
mysterious  stranger  better.  He  is  the  omnipresent  and 
eternal  Guardian  of  Israel.  Everyw^here  and  ever  at  hand, 
with  His  beloved  ones  whilst  traversing  the  sea  of  life. 
"Children"  cries  the  unknown  one  familiarly  to  the  fishermen, 
"  have  ye  any  meat  ?"  He  asks  as  to  their  success  in  fishing. 
The  answer  is  abrupt  and  quite  despondent,  "  No."  A  ques- 
tion addressed  to  us  by  God  himself  lies  involved  in  every 
trouble  that  befalls  us,  and  if  we  iuimediately  answer  as  in 
the  sight  of  God,  " Ko,  lue  have  nothing"  we  have  already 
advanced  one  step  towards  our  peace.  The  stranger  calls  to 
them,  "  Cast  the  net  on  tlie  right  side  of  the  sltip,  and  ye 
shall  find."  With  what  assurance  does  He  desire  them  to  do 
so.     Might  not  the  fishermen  by  this  have  recognised  the 


136         THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

speaker  ?  They  indeed  throw  their  net,  and,  as  it  would  seem, 
heedlessly,  as  though  thinking,  if  they  gained  nothing,  yet 
they  would  lose  nothing.  But  who  shall  describe  their  aston- 
ishment, when,  upon  endeavouring  to  pull  it  up  again,  they 
find  their  utmost  efforts  unequal  to  raise  it,  "for  the  multi- 
tude of  fishes."  The  circumstance  is  immediately  suggestive 
of  an  intimation  to  the  mind  of  one  of  them.  And  to  whom 
does  it  occur  ?  Why,  to  him  who  understood  our  Lord's 
manner  best,  and  who  was  adorned  with  the  most  beautiful 
title  that  mortal  ever  bore  ;  namdy,  that  of  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  "  and  ivho  leant  on  Jesus  breast."  John,  with 
sparkling  eyes,  whisj^ered  to  his  friends,  "  It  is  the  Lord  !" 
Upon  this,  another,  whose  ardent  temperament  will  not  per- 
mit him  to  wait  till  the  boat  was  brought  to  shore,  girding 
his  fisher ';5  coat  quickly  about  him,  boldly  leapt  overboard. 
With  energetic  strokes  he  divides  the  waves  and  swims  before 
the  vessel  towards  the  point  where  stood  the  wondrous  Per- 
sonage. Who  this  hastily-resolved  person  was,  I  scarce  need 
say,  for  who  could  it  be  but  Simon  Peter  ?  What  prompted 
him  to  do  so?  It  was  undoubtedly  his  ardent  love  to  his 
Lord  and  Master.  Ay,  but  he  had  moreover  another  especial 
reason.  He  was  already  pardoned,  but  whether  he  had  re- 
gained the  full  confidence  of  his  Lord  and  Master  was  to  him 
a  matter  of  doubt,  so  long  as  our  Lord  had  not  reinstated 
him  in  his  forfeited  apostleship.  He  had  been  forgiven  on 
the  early  morning  of  the  resurrection-day.  But  w^as  the  sin 
which  he  had  committed  lesMy  forgotten  ?  Until  Peter  be 
assured  of  this,  he  has  no  peace,  he  cannot  look  up  joyously. 
He  will  be  both  the  first  and  the  last  to  lie  at  the  feet  of  the 
risen  Saviour,  until  the  blissful  declaration  is  made  to  him, 
"  Yes,  thy  sin  is  for  ever  blotted  out ! "  "  It  is  the  Lord." 
Oh !  do  not  doubt  it,  this  cry  resounds  over  and  over  again 
in  the  life  of  believers  ;  and  what  a  day  of  rejoicing  beams 
upon  us  when,  after  protracted  and  deep  gloom,  the  long- 


THE  APPEAKANCE  AT  THE  LAKE.         137 

desired  Prince  of  Peace  again,  and  suddenly,  appears,  with 
help,  comfort,  and  kindness  !  And  He  always  does  return. 
"  Light,"  sings  David,  "  is  sown  for  the  righteous,  and  glad- 
ness for  the  upright  in  heart." 

VI.  The  disciples  in  the  ship,  dragging  the  full,  heavy  net 
after  them,  arrive  with  beating  hearts  at  the  landing-place. 
Yes,  John  was  right ;  it  is  the  Master.  His  present  appear- 
ance certainly  differs  from  what  it  was  when  living  amongst 
them ;  He  wore  the  form  of  a  servant.  But  they  already 
behold  Him  in  His  glorified  body,  and  to  no  one  of  them 
does  it  occur  to  ask  who  He  is,  and  to  grieve  Him  again  by 
unbelief.  And  what  do  you  see  near  Him  ?  A  glowing  fire 
of  coals,  and  on  it,  preparing  for  their  early  repast,  fish  and 
bread.  This  is  wonderful !  But  did  He  ever  appear,  during 
these  forty  days,  save  in  some  wondrous  fashion  ?  Of  all 
marvels,  He  is  personally  the  most  marvellous.  We  are  here 
again  convinced  that  He  belongs  no  longer  to  the  earth,  but 
to  another  sphere  of  life,  to  another  order  of  things.  After 
His  resurrection,  therefore,  it  is  not  recorded  of  Him,  as  be- 
fore, "  He  came;''  but,  "  He  sheiued  himself"  (John  xxi.  1 ;) 
that  is,  coming  forth  from  the  invisible  world.  He  entered 
the  visible  one,  from  which  He  retired  again  as  soon  as  He 
had  accomplished  His  purpose.  "  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye 
have  now  caught,''  says  He.  Again  it  is  Peter,  who  is  first 
at  the  vessel,  pulling  the  net  to  land,  and  who  fetches  some  of 
the  great  haul  of  fish.  And  Jolni,  an  eye-witness,  observes, 
"  The  fishes  luhich  they  had  caught  luere  an  hundred  and 
fifty  and  three,"  great  ones  ;  "  and  for  all  ther^e  ^^ere  so  many, 
yet  was  not  the  net  broken"  " Come,"  continues  our  Lord, 
kindly  inviting  the  disciples,  "  Come  and  eat."  They  circle 
round  Him.  He  then  takes  the  bread  Himself,  and  hands 
it  to  them  to  eat,  and  fish  likewise.  On  every  occasion  upon 
which  our  Lord  presented  Himself  to  the  disciples  subse- 
quent to  His  resurrection,  it  appears  to  have  been  His  design 


138         THE  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  LAKE. 

first  to  convince  them  that  He  was  again  there  before  them 
Himself,  personally  and  bodily,  and  then  to  free  them 
from  the  delusion  that  He  would  continue  the  same  social 
relations  with  them  which  He  previously  had  sustained.  In 
the  scene  now  brought  under  view,  the  former  aim  prepon- 
derates. It  is,  moreover,  pregnant  with  real  and  holy  sym- 
bols. It  contains  j)romises,  concerning  the  apostolate,  that 
they  should  never  see  the  spiritual  net  which  they  were  about 
to  cast  torn ;  furthermore,  assurances  of  the  never-failing 
providence  of  God  in  those  seasons  when  His  servants  go 
forth  armed  to  the  fight ;  and,  above  all,  a  significant  sym- 
bolical representation  of  the  ultimate  result  of  the  whole 
voyage  of  life,  when  He,  in  like  manner  inviting  His  chil- 
dren to  a  far  more  bounteous  feast,  after  all  the  gloom  and 
weariness  of  their  earthly  existence,  will  welcome  them  to 
the  other  shore,  and  give  them  the  crown  of  life.  Truly  the 
life  of  believers  is  one  of  most  blissful  prospect  for  the  world 
that  now  is,  and  of  perfect  happiness  for  that  which  is  to 
come. 

I  take  it  for  granted  you  are  convinced  that  there  is,  even 
on  earth,  anotlier  life  which  differs  in  all  respects  from  our 
every-day  existence,  passed  in  earthly  trouble,  earthly  joys, 
and  earthly  cares — a  life  under  the  opened  heaven  already 
illumined  by  the  splendour  of  eternity — a  life  which  even 
from  its  outset  has  a  glory  more  than  earthly.  The  life  of 
men  spiritually  crucified,  and  now  risen  with  Christ,  in 
whose  lips  the  following  passage  is  a  realised  truth — "  For 
our  conversation  is  in  heaven,  from  tuhence  also  we  look 
for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,'" — the  life  of  all 
those  to  whom  the  words  of  the  apostle  are  apj)licable, 
"  Your  life  is  hid  luith  Christ  in  God;  when  Christ,  luho 
is  your  life,  shall  apjjear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with 
him  in  glory."     May  no  one  of  us  be  condemned  eternally 


THE  APPKAEANCE  AT  'JIIE  LAKE.  139 

to  view  this  life  only  wistfully  and  from  a  distance,  as  one 
strange  to  us.  On  the  contrary,  may  it,  by  God's  grace, 
become  our  own ! 

**  Lo  !  Tliy  presence  filleth  now 
All  Thy  Church  in  every  place  ! 
To  my  heart,  oh  enter  Thou; 
See,  it  thirsteth  for  Thy  grace  ! 
Come,  thou  King  of  glory,  come, 
Deign  to  make  my  heart  Thy  home  1 
There  abide  and  rule  alone, 
As  upon  Thy  heavenly  throne  1  ** 


14jO  petee's  love  to  cheisi  tested. 


XL 

PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED. 

The  apostle  in  1  Cor.  xiii.  13,  having  first  placed  faith  and 
hope  side  by  side  Avith  love,  says,  "  But  the  greatest  of  these 
is  love,''  (charity.)  It  may  be  asked,  Why  the  greatest? 
First,  because,  unlike  faith,  which  will  be  converted  into 
sight,  and,  unlike  hope,  v/hich  will  be  converted  into  fruition, 
both  thus  undergoing  change,  love,  being  in  its  nature  divine, 
will  pass  over  unaltered  into  the  world  of  glory,  in  order 
that,  freed  from  all  earthly  shackles  and  dross,  it  may  there 
become  perfect ;  secondly,  because  love,  as  the  noble  blossom 
of  faith  and  hope,  may  be  said  to  comprise  them  both — a 
statement  which  cannot  be  made  with  equal  truth  of  either 
faith  or  hope  with  reference  to  love  ;  and,  lastly,  because  love 
is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  since  he  who  loves  God  no  longer 
considers  His  divine  precepts  as  literal  commands  external 
to  himself,  but  has  them  in  himself  as  constituting  the  prin- 
ciple of  his  inmost  life.  But  however  true  all  this  may  be, 
we  should  better  hit  the  meaning  of  the  apostle  if  we  accept 
that  he  calls  love  "  the  greatest,"  because  we,  through  love 
divesting  ourselves  of  self,  become  wholly  God's,  are  brought 
into  union  with  Him  who  is  love,  and  are  assimilated  to 
Him ;  and  whilst  in  believing  and  hoping  we  are  rather 
passive,  and  resign  ourselves  to  be  influenced  by  Him,  by 
love  we  are  raised  to  fellowship  with  His  divine  working,  or, 
as  the  apostle  says  in  another  place,  "  We  then  are  made 


Peter's  love  to  c heist  tested.  141 

worhers  luiih  Him."  What  a  precious  treasure  then  is  the 
love  which  the  apostle  here  has  in  view,  and  which  forms 
the  foundation  of  tlie  new  life  of  those  who  are  born  of 
Ood  !  AYe  shall  now  have  a  further  opportunity  afforded  us 
to  speak  and  to  hear  more  of  this  love.  Ought  we  not  all 
most  heartily  to  rejoice  in  it  ? 

John  xxi.  15-17. 
"  So  when  they  had  diued,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of 
Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?  He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord  ; 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  lambs.  He 
saith  to  him  again  the  second  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ? 
He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith 
unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep.  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son 
of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  unto  him 
the  tliird  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord,  thou 
knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him. 
Feed  my  sheep." 

A  touching  narrative,  my  brethren ;  nay,  more  than 
touching.  How  often  have  our  hearts  been  stirred  within 
us  when  meditating  upon  it ;  but  does  it  not  seem  ever  new, 
like  the  opening  spring,  the  starry  vault  of  heaven  at  even- 
tide, or  sunrise  amid  the  rosy  hues  of  the  dawn?  The 
oftener  we  examine  it,  the  more  its  beauty  grows  upon  us ; 
and  the  more  we  attempt  to  fathom  its  treasures  of  thought, 
the  richer  do  they  appear.  Truly  this  GosidcI  sj^eaks  to  us 
in  exceedingly  tender  tones,  and  needs  a  delicate  and  prac- 
tised mind  fully  to  apprehend  it.  In  spiritual  life,  there  are 
many  grades  of  susceptibility,  and  many  stages  of  culture. 
Not  all  who  have  experienced  the  loving-kindness  of  God 
see  with  equal  clearness,  and  enter  with  equal  depth  and 
fervour,  into  spiritual  matters.  It  occurs  but  to  few  to  lean 
with  John  on  Jesus'  breast,  and  to  watch  the  lightest  pulsa- 
tioi]s  of  His  divine  and  tender  heart.  May  such  delicacy  of 
perception  not  be  wanting  to  us  whilst  we  are  engaged  in 
meditating  upon  this  narrative.     Yet  this  Gospel  contains 


142  petee's  love  to  christ  tested. 

enough  of  that  which  can  be  easily  conceived  and  compre- 
hended by  all,  to  relieve  ns  from  solicitude,  lest  any  should 
wholly  fail  to  profit  by  the  study  of  it.  To  what  shall  we 
then  specially  direct  our  attention  ?  I  think  that  the  ques- 
tion of  the  risen  Saviour  respecting  love  to  Him  ought  to  be 
the  single  subject  of  our  present  contemplation.  Let  us 
observe  then,  first,  that  love  to  Christ  furnishes  us  with  the 
measure  of  all  true  human  luorth ;  then  how  does  this  ques- 
tion point  out  to  us  the  roots  and  foundation  of  all  new 
divine  life ;  and  lastly,  ho^u  it  shews  and  reveals  to  us  the 
luay  to  the  most  honourable  and  blessed  position.  May  the 
Lord  in  mercy  acknowledge  our  word,  and  may  the  Holy 
Spirit  lead  us  into  all  truth ! 

I.  Let  us  return  to  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  A 
beautiful  spring  morning  illumines  the  scene  before  us,  and 
is  quite  in  harmony  with  it.  Lo  !  yonder  stands  the  risen 
Saviour !  How  sublime  and  gracious  is  His  bearing !  The 
seven  disciples,  happy  beyond  measure  at  the  gracious  con- 
descension He  has  vouchsafed  towards  them,  surround  Him, 
their  host,  at  this  extraordinary  entertainment.  Their  coun- 
tenances beam  with  joy.  One  alone  stands  with  downcast 
looks,  depressed.  His  clothes,  still  dripping,  render  it  easy 
for  us  to  recognise  him.  He  it  is  who,  in  order  to  be  first 
at  his  Lord's  feet,  by  swimming  outstripped  the  slow  progress 
of  the  ship.  What  is  it  then  that  still  lies  so  heavily  upon 
his  heart  ?  Was  it  the  lamentable  transaction  in  the  court- 
yard of  the  high  priest's  palace?  Doubtless  the  crushing 
remembrance  of  that  will  never  be  entirely  extinguished  in 
his  soul.  But  he  likewise  will  never  forget  that  glorious 
incident,  wholly  unparalleled  in  its  nature,  on  Easter-morn, 
when  suddenly  the  Master,  whom  he  had  so  disgracefully 
denied,  stood  before  him,  glorified  as  the  conqueror  of  hell, 
death,  and  the  grave,  and  personally  assured  his  contrite 
heart  of  full  forgiveness.     Peter's  absolution,  pronounced  by 


PETEK'S  love  to  CHRIST  TESTED.  143 

Him  whose  pardon  he  knew  was  as  valid  in  heaven  as  it  is 
upon  earth,  would  not  have  been  exchanged  by  him  for  a 
kingly  crown.  The  declaration  received  then  still  remains 
his  most  precious  treasure — a  jewel  he  will  never  part  with  ; 
for  it  guarantees  to  him  nothing  less  than  the  future  fcivour 
of  God  and  everlasting  blessedness.  But  is  Simon  then  not 
yet  set  at  ease  ?  No,  no ;  not  yet.  His  Lord  has  not  yet 
restored  him  to  the  apostleshij),  which  he  lost  by  his  triple 
denial ;  and  imtil  this  be  done,  he  cannot  breatlie  freely.  But 
is  it  possible  for  one  who  has  fallen  so  low  to  find  courage 
to  make  such  a  request?  Oh!  do  not  judge  too  hastily; 
enter  fully,  if  possible,  into  the  disciple's  feelings.  He  truly 
cares  not  for  his  reputation  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  but 
solely  for  a  valid  pledge  that  he  again  possesses  the  whole 
heart,  the  undiminished  confidence,  the  entire  affection,  of 
his  glorious  Lord.  But  such  a  pledge  he  could  only  recog- 
nise by  his  Lord's  recalling  him  to  apostolic  service.  He 
dares  not  say  as  much,  but  he  does  not  doubt  that  the 
Searcher  of  hearts  will  read  this  latent  desire  in  his  soul. 
Do  you  not  herein  begin  to  perceive  in  what  true  love  to 
Christ  consists  ?  This  love  shews  itself  in  an  intense  lono-incr 
to  be  firmly  and  confidently  assured  of  the  love  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  towards  us.  So  long  as  we  only  slavishly  endeavour 
to  fulfil  our  Lord's  commands,  in  order  that  when  He  comes 
to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  the  last  day,  He  may 
have  no  very  great  sin  to  upbraid  us  with,  it  is  very  question- 
able whether  a  spark  of  love  to  Him  gleam  in  our  hearts. 
It  is  possible  that,  notwithstanding  a  moral  striving  such  as 
this,  which  is  entirely  opposed  to  the  Christian  character, 
we  may  stand  in  no  personal  relationship  to  the  Lord  ;  rather 
in  secret  alienation  from  Him,  feeling  only  sullen  ill-humour 
and  discontent  at  the  "  too  heavy  yoke  "  with  which  He  bur- 
dens our  flesh  by  His  precepts  and  ordinances.  We  do  not 
love  Him  until  we  feel  the  assurance  of  His  love  to  be  the 


144  PETERS  LOVE  TO  CHEIST  TESTED. 

most  precious  thing  which  we  could  possibly  desire.  But  if 
it  be  asked  how,  and  by  what  means,  we  know  that  the  Lord 
really  loves  us,  let  the  sequel  serve  as  a  reply.  A  lively,  sin- 
cere desire  to  rest  in  His  love  may  serve  as  an  indication  and 
pledge  to  us  that  the  heart  of  the  Friend  of  sinners  is  already 
graciously  inclined  towards  us.  But  His  gracious  disposition 
is  especially  to  be  seen  in  the  way  in  which  He  leads  us,  sup- 
plies our  most  urgent  wants,  listens  to  our  sighs,  and  answers 
our  prayers.  May  our  attention  ever  be  most  solicitously 
fixed  on  these  points !  We  often  pray  for  this  and  that, 
which,  when  granted,  leaves  us  so  wholly  occupied  with  the 
aid  afforded,  and  the  material  benefit  received,  that  the  gra- 
cious answer  to  prayer  therein  experienced  is  entirely  lost 
sight  of  by  us.  In  a  blindness  that  is  incomprehensible  we 
forget  the  Giver  in  the  gift,  and  thus  lose  the  noblest  and 
best  blessing  comprised  in  the  benefit  vouchsafed  us. 

Our  Lord,  with  a  seriousness  tempered  by  kindness,  looks 
at  His  disciple,  and  questions  him  respecting  his  love  to  Him. 
And  the  same  question  He  puts  to  us,  and  to  all  the  world 
too.  The  question  involves  a  high  sense  of  personal  worth. 
The  inquirer  recognises  in  himself  the  individual  to  whom 
the  devoted  attachment  of  all  mankind  is  due  as  tribute.  At 
the  same  time  this  question  indicates  to  us  the  rule  by  which 
all  true  human  worth  is  to  be  measured.  If  you  do  not  love 
Jesus,  it  is  clear  and  evident  that,  notwithstanding  all  the 
outward  shew  of  respectability  and  virtue  which  you  may 
make,  your  moral  worth  is  nothing,  because  you  characterise 
yourself  as  a  creature  whose  inner  life  is  stifled  and  dulled 
to  such  a  degree  that  there  is  no  faculty  left  to  receive  the 
reflection  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  For  beyond  every 
attribute,  Christ  bears  in  Himself  the  perfect  image  of  God. 
From  Him  there  beams  on  you  all  the  fulness  of  Him  who 
is  the  eternally  true,  good,  and  beautiful.  Yes,  even  Jioliness 
itself,  and  consequently  the  ideal  of  humanity,  is  in  Him 


PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED.  145 

come  down  from  heaven  to  eartli.  If  yon  do  not  love  Jesns, 
neither  do  you  love  light,  but  are  a  child  of  darkness.  Then, 
despite  your  name  of  Christian,  how  far  are  you  behind  that 
wise  heathen  of  ancient  times,  who  perceived  and  confessed 
tliat  "virtue  would  never  be  tauglit  by  precepts,  but  that  it 
would  tlien  first  be  rendered  intelligible  when  it  appeared  on 
earth  in  a  living  person,  who  would  incline  the  world  to  love 
it ; "  and  who,  had  lie  met  with  Christ,  would  doubtless  have 
fallen  at  His  feet  with  ardent  devotion  ? 

If  you  do  not  love  Jesus,  you  are  blind  with  regard  to  your 
oivn  real  condition  to  the  same  extent  as  you  are  with  re- 
gard to  every  moral  object  really  noble  and  great.  Were 
you  enlightened,  ay,  did  you  but  know  one-half  of  what  you 
truly  stand  in  need,  you  would  immediately  give  your  whole 
lieart  unreservedly  to  Him  who  announces  Himself  with  the 
assurance,  "  The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  is  lost."  The  indifference  manifested  by  you  to 
this  Divine  Physician,  Redeemer,  and  Mediator,  condemns 
you  at  once  as  most  grossly  infatuated,  lost  to  all  truth,  and 
entangled  in  lies,  illusion,  and  self-deception.  You  think 
yourself  in  health,  whilst  labouring  under  a  fatal  malady; 
free,  whilst  in  slavish  fetters ;  righteous,  whilst  guilty  of  the 
whole  law.  AVould  you  not  declare  a  man  insane  if,  havino- 
lost  his  way  in  a  desert,  he  turned  his  back  upon  a  person 
who  offered  to  be  his  guide ;  or  who,  when  dying  of  thirst, 
should  scornfully  repulse  the  friend  who  came  to  shew  him 
a  spring?  Such  a  one  however,  or  a  shipwrecked  mariner 
tossed  about  by  the  winds  and  waves,  yet  disdaining  to  enter 
the  life-boat  approaching  to  save  him,  would  be  far  less 
foolish  than  the  wandering  sinner  who  carelessly  passes  by 
Jesus,  the  Saviour  from  all  distress.  We  should  call  the 
conceit  of  such  a  man,  which  makes  him  think  that  he  can 
do  without  tlie  heavenly  Prince  of  Peace,  absurd  and  ridicu- 

K 


146  petee's  love  to  christ  tested. 

lous,  were  it  not  that  the  ruin  which  it  will  bring  upon  him 
is  so  fatal  and  tragic. 

If  you  do  not  love  Jesus,  you  betray,  lastly,  a  want  of 
spiritual  elevation,  which  strips  you  of  the  last  remnant  of 
moral  dignity.  Your  inability,  not  only  to  recognise  the 
divinity  which  shone  forth  in  Him,  but  also  to  appreciate 
the  numerous  favours  and  privileges  for  which,  despite  your 
unbelief,  you  have  to  thank  Him,  is  glaringly  exposed.  Tell 
lis  whence  comes  that  political  order  under  which  you  feel 
yourself  so  secure?  whence  that  dear  domestic  life  which 
encircles  you  as  with  a  hedge  of  roses  ?  whence  the  refined 
manners  which  adorn  your  social  life?  whence  that  sound 
mental  culture  in  which  you  so  much  rejoice  ?  vfhence  the 
higher  view  of  the  purpose  and  ultimate  aim  of  the  existence 
of  the  earth,  in  which  you  have  been  instructed  from  child- 
hood? and  whence  those  elevating  images  of  an  invisible  and 
ideal  world,  which,  thouHi  dimly  seen,  like  stars  fJiinino;  afar 
off,  have  nevertheless  found  their  way  to  your  mental  vision  ? 
Whence  all  these  things  ?  Did  not  Jesus  create  and  organise 
them  ?  And  you  do  not  love  this  Jesus  !  Besotted,  blinded, 
mortal !  say  where  can  we  look  in  you  for  that  spiritual  and 
moral  worth  which  will  entitle  you  to  a  claim  on  our  esteem  ? 

II.  We  say  further,  that  the  question  of  our  love  to  Christ 
is  one  and  the  same  as  that  concerning  the  foundation  and 
nature  of  the  neiu  life  begotten  of  God.  With  everything 
that  might  otherwise  decorate  the  man,  the  very  germ  of  the 
divine  nature  is  wanting  where  that  love  has  not  yet  been 
kindled.  Therefore,  Simon  Peter  is  first  prompted  to  look 
for  this  sacred  spark  in  his  soul ;  and  not  until  he  has  dis- 
covered it,  is  he  justified  or  enabled  to  expect  anything  good 
for  his  future  life. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  remarkable  trial  which  he  has  to 
undergo.  The  Lord  begins  to  speak  to  him.  They  all  hang 
on  His  lips,  but  no  one  so  intently  as  Simon  himself.     Oh, 


Peter's  love  to  christ  tested.  147 

thinks  he,  would  that  He  may  act  but  forbearingly  towards 
me!  Tlie  Lord  begins,  " Si)iion,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 
me  more  than  these?"  What  does  this  question  mean, 
wliich  all  at  once  re-oj^ens  the  scarcely-healed  wound  in  his 
conscience  ?  Like  the  stab  of  a  knife,  it  gashes,  his  already 
poor  and  dejected  heart.  Every  word  in  it,  every  syllable, 
is  crushing — "Simon,  son  of  Jonas.''  How  strange,  how 
chilling,  does  this  appellation  sound  !  That  is  his  old  name 
again,  the  name  which  he  bore  in  the  days  of  his  blindness 
and  estrangement  from  God ;  and  not  his  new  one,  not 
"  Cephas "  or  "  Peter,"  his  name  as  a  disciple  and  apostle ! 
How  can  this  designation  imj^ly  any  good  to  him?  And 
then  the  ''Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  do?"  Simon 
understtinds  but  too  well  this  reference  to  the  past.  The 
"Lovest  thou  me  more  ?"  threatens  almost  to  annihilate  him. 
Once  he  had  imagined  that  he  indeed  did  so.  ''Though 
all  men  should  he  offended  luith  thee,"  once  li.^htly  escaped 
his  lips,  "yet  willl  never  be  offended;  though  I  should  have 
to  die  ivith  thee,  yet  luill  I  not  deny  thee;''  and  only  a 
few  hours  afterwards,  alas,  how  had  he  fallen !  What  a 
recollection  ! — a  draught  more  bitter  than  gall,  and  here 
poured  out  for  him  by  the  Master  himself !  Simon's  whole 
soul  bleeds  once  more,  and  the  comfort  of  the  pardon  which 
had  been  granted  him  is  dissipated  like  water  on  a  heated 
surface.  He  is  sad,  sad  almost  to  death.  But  the  Master 
asks,  and  it  is  but  seemly  that  Simon  answer.  What !  in 
the  same  terms,  "  Yea,  Lord,  L  love  Thee .  7nore  ?"  No, 
never  !  never  again  !  Well  then,  "  No,  Lord,  not  more  than 
these  do?"  Nor  this  either.  It  will  never  occur  to  him 
again  to  compare  himself  with  others.  Shall  he  then  say, 
'No,  Lord,  I  love  TJiee  not  ?"  All  that  is  in  his  heart  would 
revolt  against  that  as  against  the  blackest  lie.  Shall  he  then 
directly  and  freely  testify,  "  /  love  Thee  truly,  my  Saviour  V 
His  inn-iost  feeling  would  stamp  this  testimony  as  true  and 


148  PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED. 

well  founded ;  but  such  an  expression  would  die  upon  his 
lips  ;  for  he  would  remember,  the  high-sounding  asseveration 
which  he  allowed  to  escape  him  on  the  way  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives  was  not  hypocrisy,  but  sprung  from  his  inmost  soul, 
and  yet  only  rested  on  most  grievous  self-deception.    The  poor 
disciple  is  in  deep  distress.    He  would  have  preferred  to  give 
his  soul  vent  in  silent  tears.     Bat  speak  he  must,  for  the 
Master  has  put  a  question  to  him.     Yielding  to  the  melan- 
choly pressure,  his  troubled  mind  makes  way  for  itself,  and 
Simon  answers  with  great  tact,  whilst  most  truly,  and  with 
deep  emotion,  "  Yea,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee." 
It  is,  then,  "  Yea,"  and  rightly  so.     This  ''  Yea  "  came  from 
the  very  inmost  depths  of  his  soul.     But,  nevertheless,  he 
cannot  bring  it  out  simply,  unreservedly.     Fearful  lest  he 
again  prove  the  victim  of  self-deception,  he  invokes  the  co- 
operation of  the   Searcher  of   hearts,   to    aid    him   in  the 
examination  of  his  own,  and  that  He  may  search  into  its 
very  inmost  recesses.     "  Lord,"  says  he,  "  Thou  knowest " — 
But  what  comes  next?     Is  it,  luhetJier  L  love  Thee?     He 
might  have  wished  to  say  so,  but  the  spirit  of  truth  within 
him  opposed  the  "whether"  as  a  false  and  affected  humility, 
and  substituted  the  word  "that."     And  thus  a  confident, 
"Lord,    Thou   knowest   that   I   love    Thee,"   escapes   from 
Simon's  lips.      "Oh,   see   Thyself,"  is  the  meaning  of  his 
words,  ''  how  all  my  longings,  hopes,  and  desires,  would,  like 
tendrils,    clasp  and  hail  Thee,  who  art  my  only  One,  my 
All!"      His  Lord   owns   it,   and,   with  infinite   gentleness, 
hastily  raises  His  profoundly-dejected  disciple,  and  gives  the 
royal  mandate,  "  Feed  my  lambs ! "  which  was  tantamount 
to  saying,  ''Now,  he  my  ajjostle  again!"     Simon  hardly 
dares  to  trust  his  ears.     Seldom  has  any  one  experienced 
a  more  rapid  transition  from  the  deepest  compunction  to 
the  most  blissful  joy  than  he.     Just  before  he  was  a  worm 
crawling  on  the  ground,  and  in  a  moment  he  sees  himself 


Peter's  love  to  christ  tested.  149 

raised  again  to  one  of  the  twelve  thrones  which  shall  far 
surpass  those  of  the  most  brilliant  of  eartlily  nionarchs.  He 
conkl  call  npon  heaven  and  earth  to  help  him  to  render 
llianks,  and  to  rejoice. 

But  what  fresh  incident  is  about  to  befall  him  ?  Simon 
arms  himself  for  a  new  struggle.  Yes,  it  sometimes  happens 
that  sudden  and  speedy  reverses  occur  in  the  life  of  believers. 
Simon  experiences  this  in  the  most  astounding  manner. 
The  Lord  fixes  His  eyes  upon  him  once  more,  and,  as  it 
appears,  more  earnestly  than  before,  and  says,  with  still 
lireater  emphasis,  "Simon,  so7i  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  meV 
Simon  noticed  that  the  Lord  this  time  laid  special  stress  on 
the  word  "  lovest,"  as  if  He  would  say,  "  This  is  no  slight 
matter ;  the  love  which  I  demand  is  perhaps  quite  a  different 
thing  from  what  thou  hast  been  accustomed  to  call  by  that 
name.  It  is  more  than  a  mere  natural  flickering,  flaring 
fire ;  more  than  a  mere  fleeting  paroxysm  of  enthusiasm, 
kindled  by  the  miraculous  splendour  which  adorns  my 
life ;  more  than  a  sentimental  admiration  of  my  moral 
beauty,  or  of  the  elevating  thoughts  of  eternity  with  which 
my  word  has  overspread  the  darkness  of  earth  as  with  a 
starry  heaven ! "  Simon  perceives  the  great  scope  of  his 
Master's  question,  and  at  the  recollection  of  the  love  which 
he  had  once  so  loudly  boasted,  he  could  anew  for  very 
shame  have  hid  his  face.  Again  he  looks  searchingly  into 
his  soul,  and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  I  hear  the  following 
soliloquy  going  on  there  : — "  How,  wretched  sinner,  do 
matters  now  stand  with  thee  ?  Wliat  is  it  to  love  Him  ? 
what  does  it  mean  ?  Is  it  to  find  no  rest  but  in  Him,  not 
to  be  able  to  remain  where  He  is  not,  to  know  notliing 
sweeter  than  His  name,  and  to  prefer  never  to  have  been 
born  rather  than  'to  be  obliged  to  live  without  fellowship 
with  Him  ?  Is  it  to  see  heaven  in  the  gracious  expression 
of  His  eye  ?  to  feel  indifferent  to  every  person  and  every- 


1  50  PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CIIPJST  TESTED. 

thing  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  if  we  have  but  Him  and  His 
consolations?  Is  that  loving  Him?  Oh,  then,  the  Master 
himself  may  be  my  witness,  that  at  least  some  small  spark 
of  love  glows  in  my  heart  towards  Him,  in  spite  of  all 
obstacles."  Thus  he  thinks,  whilst  devotedly  and  fervently 
issues  from  His  lips  the  assurance,  "  Yea,  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  that  I  love  Thee  I"  And  the  Lord,  confirming  it, 
says  a  second  time,  ''Feed  my  lambs."  Then  Simon  is 
again  raised,  intoxicated  with  joy,  above  all  the  heights  of 
this  earth,  and  is  well-nigh  dissolved  in  gratitude  and 
delight. 

Has  this  scene  of  trial  come  to  an  end  ?  Not  yet.  Love 
to  Christ  is  an  important  topic,  and  one  not  lightly  to  be 
disposed  of.  A  third  time  the  Lord,  stirring  the  very 
depths  of  the  disciple's  soul,  says,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  THOU  meV — and  now  the  word  ''thou''  is  obviously 
the  one  emphasised.  Simon  stands  dismayed.  Why  marvel? 
By  this  third  question  it  was  palpably  our  Lord's  design  to 
remind  him  of  his  thrice-reiterated  denial.  Simon,  again 
ejected  from  his  high  heaven  of  joy,  thinks,  "Truly,  Lord,  if 
my  asseveration,  weighed  by  Thy  balance,  has  ceased  to  be 
of  value,  I,  faithless  boaster,  have  fully  deserved  it ! "  Oh, 
wliat  sorrow  invests  his  soul !  But  he  quickly  resumes  his 
courage,  thinking,  "  If  my  love  were  once  a  lie  and  a  decep- 
tion, it  is  no  longer  so  to-day.  I  am  at  least  convinced  that 
Thou,  Lord,  art  the  sole  object  of  my  affection,  the  only 
Rock  on  which  I  trust.  Thou  mayest  slay  me,  but  I  shall 
never  leave  Thee  again.  Wert  Thou  to  consign  me  to  hell. 
Thou  wouldst  still  be  the  magnet  to  which  my  soul  is 
attached."  So  he  thinks ;  and  looking  at  his  Lord,  how 
tumultuously  does  his  heart  beat  and  throb !  How  could  he 
refrain  from  making  a  renewed  and  strohger  testimony  of 
his  love?  As  if  he  would  say,  "Be  Thou  thyself  witness 
between  Thee  and  me,  Tiiou  who  searchest  the  heart  and 


PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED.  161 

triest  the  reins/'  he  says,  overcome  with  sadness,  but,  never- 
theless, with  great  decision  and  confidence,  "  Lor^d,  Thou 
knowest  all  things;  Thou  knoiuest  that  I  love  Thee.''  And 
now  the  Lord  gives  free  course  to  His  own  love  too.  All 
His  purposes  are  attained.  Simon's  threefold  denial  has 
been  revoked  by  His  threefold  confession.  Simon  is  restored 
to  the  brethren,  and  the  bretliren  are  restored  to  Simon ; 
and,  what  is  far  more  to  him,  his  Lord  is  restored  to  him, 
and  he  to  Himself.  The  Prince  of  Life  looks  upon  His 
disciple,  refined  by  the  fiery  trial  to  which  he  had  just  been 
subjected,  with  ineffable  kindness,  and  addressing  him  in  a 
tone  which  manifestly  proved  his  final  rein:?tatenient  in 
apostolical  functions,  He  says  to  him,  ''Feed  my  sheep'' 
Happy  disci [)le  !  What  a  treasure  is  that  which  tliou  hast 
gained !  Thou  knowest  that  thou  really  lovest  Jesus  thy 
Saviour,  and  this  love  is  the  foundaticm  of  the  new  life, 
begotten  of  God,  the  root  and  source  of  all  sanctification, 
truly  acceptable  to  God;  the  ''fulfilling  of  the  law,"  as 
Scripture  testifies,  and  the  sign-manual  put  on  the  children 
and  heirs  of  God. 

III.  Wlien  will  it  come  to  pass,  my  friends,  that  we  also 
shall,  unitedly  and  severally,  be  able  to  answer  the  question, 
''Lovest  thou  meV  with  truthfulness  as  deeply  felt,  and 
with  the  same  depth  of  meaning,  as  did  Peter,  "  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  all  things ;  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee."  As  long 
as  we  are  without  this  love,  our  existence  is  meaninoless, 
our  heart  a  wilderness,  our  whole  life  a  parched  tract,  which 
will  at  least  bear  no  fruit  for  heaven.  Without  the  love  of 
Christ,  we  are  like  a  vessel  without  mast  and  without  rud- 
der, tossed  on  the  ocean  of  life ;  without  this  love,  no  tie 
unites  us  to  the  heavenly  world,  and  we  have  laid  up  no 
treasure  for  eternity. 

The  heart  can  never  rest  until  it  repose  in  tlie  love  of 
Jesus  ;  nnd  neither  shall  w^  be  tru1v  lovod,  nor  shall  we  love 


152  PETEE'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED. 

our  brethren,  until  the  love  of  Jesus  is  shed  abroad  in  our 
hearts.  This  love  im23lants  within  the  bosom  an  Eden  of 
quiet  bliss,  whose  flowers  are  unfading.  It  sheds  upon  our 
earthly  career  a  gleam  of  the  glory,  a  faint  reflection  of  the 
unseen  world  which  awaits  us  above  ;  it  confers  a  nobility 
which  the  mists  of  the  poorest  temporal  circumstances  can 
never  obscure.  Yes,  if  we  love  Jesus  w^e  have  re-attained 
to  the  true  original  dignity  of  man ;  we  have  been  restored 
to  the  most  honourable  position,  and  really  raised  again  to 
the  same  elevation  on  which  our  first  parents  stood  before 
the  fall  in  paradise.  We  are  received  again  into  fellowship 
with  God,  are  embraced  and  sustained  by  the  love  of  God, 
and  once  more  love  what  is  divine  and  everlasting.  We 
soar  on  wings  of  blissful  hope  above  the  heights  of  earth, 
have  conquered  the  world,  sin,  flesh,  and  the  devil,  and  are, 
no  less  than  Peter  and  his  fellow-apostles,  each  one  in  his 
own  degree  and  in  his  own  way,  appointed  to  be  the  salt, 
the  light,  and  the  benefactors  of  this  world,  which  we  are 
traversing,  indeed,  as  pilgrims  and  strangers,  but  cheerfully, 
under  the  fatherly  eye  of  God,  in  the  consciousness  of  His 
Divine  complacency,  and  under  the  guardianship  of  angels, 
being  well  assured  that  we  shall  reach  our  home  at  last. 

If,  then,  love  to  Jesus  be  so  great  a  matter  that  it  alone 
can  give  meaning  to  our  life  and  warrant  to  our  hope,  how 
can  we  rest  until  we  feel  its  holy  fire  glowing  within  us? 
But  this  love  cannot  be  gained  by  working ;  it  must,  as  the 
apostle  says,  ''he  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  hi/  the  Holy 
Ghost."  We  make  room  for  this  love,  we  prepare  a  place 
for  it,  when  we  first  brinoj  ourselves  into  the  liiilit  of  God's 
countenance,  and  become  fully  conscious  of  the  lost  estate, 
of  the  absolute  alienation  from  Him,  into  which  we  all,  with- 
out exception,  originally  fell.  The  first  tear  of  godly  sorrow 
which  trickles  down  the  cheek  may  be  considered  as  a  pledge 
that  the  moment  is  not  far  distant  when  the  love  of  Christ 


PETER'S  LOVE  TO  CHRIST  TESTED.  1 53 

shall  cheer  thy  heart  likewise.  Love  to  Jesus  takes  its  source 
in  the  conscious  apprehension  of  His  redeeming  love.  This 
experience,  of  all  others  the  most  desirable,  must,  however, 
remain  unknown  to  us,  until  we  have  been  awakened  from 
that  most  wretched  and  pernicious  of  all  dreams,  the  dreura 
of  self-righteousness.  Let  us,  then,  most  earnestly  implore 
the  Lord  to  deliver  us  from  that  bewildering  enchantment 
which  by  nature  enchains  us  all,  and  pray  as  in  these 
words — 

"  If  Thou,  True  Life,  wilt  iu  me  live. 

Consume  ichntcer  is  not  of  Thee  ; 

Cue  look  of  Thine  more  joy  can  give 

Than  all  the  world  can  offer  me. 

0  Jesus,  be  Thou  mine  for  ever ! 

Nought  from  Thy  love  my  heart  can  sever-^ 

That  Thou  hast  promised  in  Thy  Word  ! 
.   Oh,  deep  the  joy  whereof  I  drink, 

Whene'er  my  soul  in  Thee  can  sink, 
.   And  own  her  Bridegi'oom  and  her  Lord." 

Sinold,  1710. — Lyra  Germanica. 

The  hour  will  come  to  each  and  all  of  us  when,  from  the 
mouth  of  Him  wlio  will  award  the  final  sentence  as  to  our 
eternal  destiny,  the  question  will,  with  most  solemn  intona- 
tion, be  addressed  to  us,  "  Lovest  thou  me  '? "  The  Lord,  by 
His  Holy  Spirit,  help  us  then  to  answer,  with  as  much 
truth  as  did  Simon  Peter  of  old,  "Lord,  Thou  knowest  all 
things ;  Thou  knowest  also  that  I  love  Thee."    Amen. 


154»  petek's  WAi. 


xn. 

PETER'S  WAY. 

"  He  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  aiid  foUotueth  after  me,  is 
not  worthy  of  me!'  Thus  spake  the  Lord  in  Matt.  x.  88. 
Whom  does  this  passage  not  terrify  ?  He  has  often  repeated 
it  with  emphasis,  has  placed  it,  as  it  were,  at  the  head  of  His 
programme.  Nowhere  does  He  make  it  more  apparent  that 
He  neither  aimed  at  organising  a  political  party,  which  should 
bear  Him  aloft  with  acclamations  as  its  glorious  chief,  nor, 
like  the  wise  men  of  this  earth,  at  forming  a  school  which 
should  trumpet  its  Master's  name  throughout  the  world, 
than  when  He  makes  such  a  demand  as  the  above  the  indis- 
pensable condition  of  admittance  into  His  kingdom.  What 
does  the  word  cross  signify  but  a  combination  of  the  last 
degree  of  ignominy  with  the  most  intense  suffering.  And 
this  is  the  mode  in  which  He  enlists  all  those  who  are  dis- 
posed to  devote  themselves  to  His  service !  They  must 
whilst  living  not  only  make  death  an  element  in  their  cal- 
culations, but  reckon  upon  suffering  continuous  shipwreck  of 
their  plans  and  fortune,  as  also  of  all  their  worldly  projects, 
desires,  and  aspirations.  We  see  that  our  Lord  can  only 
avail  Himself  of  the  services  of  disciples  who  have  the  salva- 
tion of  their  souls  more  at  heart  tlnm  anything  else,  and  who 
are  so  deejDly  and  overwhelmingly  convinced  of  their  lost 
condition  that  to  them  no  sacrifice,  by  which  they  might 
obtain  grace  and  forgiveness,  appears  too  great,  not  even 


PETER'S  WAY.  166 

were  it  the  most  precious  and  the  dearest  they  possess.  But 
these  large  demands,  which  our  Lord  makes  of  all  those 
who  are  anxious  to  attach  themselves  to  Him,  justify  us, 
however,  not  only  in  confidently  inferring  that  His  own  self- 
consciousness,  as  the  only  Saviour,  is  clear  and  certain,  but 
also  that  the  blessedness  which  He  has  to  offer,  in  compensa- 
tion for  a  life  of  self-renunciation  and  self-denial,  is  truly 
great.  However  much  the  flesh  may  be  alarmed  at  the  terms 
of  the  passage,  "He  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  followeth 
after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me,"  it  is  nevertheless,  wlien  closely 
scanned,  rich  in  comfort  and  promise ;  and  we  shall  see  that 
it  was  received  as  such  by  a  disciple,  to  whom  it  was  applied 
with  most  especial  and  terrifying  emphasis. 

JoEN  xxi.  18-23. 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  When  thou  wast  young,  thou  girdedst 
thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou  wouldest :  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old, 
thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry 
thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not.  This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what  death 
he  should  glorify  God.  And  when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him, 
Follow  me.  Then  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved  following ;  which  also  leaned  on  his  breast  at  supper,  and  said.  Lord, 
which  is  he  that  betrayeth  thee  ?  Peter  seeing  him,  saith  to  Jesus,  Lord, 
and  what  shall  this  man  do  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry 
till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ? " 

This  is  the  concluding  scene  of  the  manifestation  of  the 
risen  Saviour  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.  What  a  wondrously 
bright  picture  does  it  present,  and  how  powerfully  are  we 
again  struck  by  the  fragrance  of  historical  truth  !  That 
wiiich  is  here  narrated  can  be  no  fiction.  Art  cannot  sj^in 
and  weave  such  delicate  threads  as  here  present  themselves  ; 
life  itself  alone  could.  Observe  especially  these  last  historical 
incidents  of  the  gospel  narrative,  and  say  whether  you  con- 
sider it  possible  that  the  imagination,  even  of  the  most  gifted 
human  poet,  could  have  devised  such  a  scene  as  the  one  before 


156  petee's  way. 

us,  in  which  everything  is  so  evidently  not  of  this  world,  and 
yet  breathing  the  living  freshness  of  unec^iiivocal  reality. 
What  a  variety  of  wholesome  truths  are  here  presented  to 
us,  most  simply  attired,  and  covered  only  with  the  slightest 
veil !  Come,  let  us  listen  attentively  to  our  Lord's  continued 
conversation  with  His  disciple  Peter ;  and  let  us  notice 
first,  the  intimation  made  to  Peter;  then,  the  question 
which  the  disciple  addresses  to  our  Lord;  and  finally,  the 
ansiuer  received  in  reply  to  the  question.  The  narrative  in- 
volves much  more  than  is  expressed.  May  the  Lord  assist 
us  throughout  our  meditations,  revealing  that  which  shall  be 
j)rofitable  to  us ! 

I.  Peter  is  abundantly  comforted.  Our  Lord  has  re- 
instated him  in  his  apostleship,  a  dignity  previously  forfeited 
by  his  denial  of  his  Master ;  our  Lord  did  so  upon  his  con- 
fession, "Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee" — a  confession 
made  in  the  deepest  humiliation,  yet  with  firm  confidence. 
Our  Lord,  as  it  were,  restores  the  sword  to  Peter,  having 
already  pardoned  his  former  desertion.  Peter  has  attained 
the  pinnacle  of  happiness.  But  our  Lord's  tender  care  for 
His  disciple  extends  still  further.  It  is  His  purpose  to  free 
him  from  solicitude  as  to  whether  he  will  remain  steadfast 
in  his  love ;  to  arm  him  for  the  days  of  combat  on  which  he 
is  about  to  enter,  with  the  conscious  assurance  that  he  will 
remain  faithful  even  unto  death ;  and  at  the  same  time  so 
to  forewarn  him,  that  when  again  overtaken  by  trial,  he  shall 
never  allow  it  to  surprise  him,  or  to  cause  his  faith  to  give 
way.  Moreover,  He  designs  to  clip  the  wings  of  his  too 
easily  excited  feelings,  in  order  to  preserve  him  from  fleshly 
vain-gloriousness,  and  to  place  as  it  were  a  monitor  in  his 
heart,  which  at  every  step  he  took  should  bid  him  ejaculate 
a  prayer,  tempering  his  fiery  character  by  the  companion- 
ship of  a  salutary  sadness.  Our  Lord  accomplishes  all  this 
by  a  prophetic  announcement  wliich  was  enough  to  make 


Pj:TF/i  SWAY.  1 57 

him  stagger,  following,  as  it  did  so  closely,  his  reinstatement 
in  the  ajDOstolic  office. 

He  begins  with  a  "  Verily,  verily ! "  You  know  this 
His  form  of  asseveration,  which  impresses  on  whatever 
follows  it  a  seal  that  stamps  any  one  who  would  call  its 
truth  in  question  with  the  guilt  of  high  treason.  In  the 
use  of  this  word  "  verily,"  He  engraves  that  which  He  is 
about  to  say  on  the  apostle's  mi^mory  as  with  a  brazen  style. 
With  an  echo  that  will  never  become  fainter,  he  will  hear  it 
resound  throughout  life.  And  when  that  which  was  now 
shewn  him  in  the  distance  should  actually  befall  him,  that 
word  "  verily  "  would  serve  to  support  the  consolatory  con- 
viction that  the  Lord,  cognisant  of  his  future  destiny,  had 
not  averted  it,  simply  because  He  foresaw  that  it  would  be 
advantageous  and  salutary  for  him.  Peter  then  knew  that 
whatever  hai)pened  to  him  formed  an  indispensable  part  of 
His  gracious  leadings,  and  that  nothing  in  the  world  gives 
so  firm  a  footing  as  a  w^ord  from  the  mouth  of  the  ''  true 
and  faithful  Witness."  Let  us  also  rejoice  that  the  most  im- 
l^ortant  revelations  and  teachings  of  Holy  Scripture  are 
confirmed  by  our  Lord's  asseveration,  "  Verily,  verily."  Not 
only  does  this  expression,  "verily,"  place  them  in  an  elevated 
position  like  beacons,  but  our  Lord,  at  the  same  time,  pledges 
for  their  truth  the  glory  of  His  divine  mission — ay,  all  His 
prophetic  and  moral  honour.  *'  /  say  unto  thee,"  the  Lord 
proceeds  to  declare  to  Peter,  "  When  thou  luast  young,  thou 
girdedst  thy  self,  and  ivalkedst  tuhither  thou  7Uouldest."  In  a 
wider  sense  this  declaration  is  true  of  man's  youth  generally. 
In  the  full  consciousness  of  his  expanding  vital  power,  the 
young  man  fancies  himself  able  to  make  his  way  through  all 
obstacles,  and,  were  it  requisite,  to  move  mountains.  But 
our  Lord  has  our  condition  by  nature  especially  in  view, 
which  is  one  of  alienation  from  all  fellowship  with  God, 
since  man,  listening  to  no  other  suggestions  than  those  which 


1 58  PETER'S  WAY. 

his  selfish  interests  dictate,  steers  through  life  by  a  capri- 
ciously-selected course,  and  unfurls  his  sails  to  no  winds 
save  those  which  favour  his  own  plans  and  desires.  A  man 
then  says,  "  It  is  my  will  and  pleasure  to  do  so  and  so,"  and, 
in  the  absence  of  all  restraint,  imagines  himself  to  be  per- 
fectly free  ;  whereas  in  reality  he  is  only  the  slave  of  his 
passions,  if  not,  indeed,  of  a  dark  and  gloomy  spirit,  of  which 
he  himself  is  at  present  entirely  ignorant.  Man,  moreover, 
has  no  idea  that  he  is  being  led  about  in  leading  strings, 
and  not  only  so,  but  that  every  creature,  even  that  which 
struggles  the  most  against  it,  is  in  the  same  plight — led  about 
by  Him  who  does  as  He  wills  both  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
A  Nebuchadnezzar  unwittingly  indulged  his  pride  while  in 
the  fetters  of  Omnipotence,  and  a  Cyrus,  utterly  unconscious 
of  it,  only  executed  His  behests.  On  being  brought  into 
a  state  of  grace,  man  resigns  his  natural  freedom,  which 
is  only  an  illusion  and  a  lie,  to  the  sovereign  will  of  the 
Lord  of  lords,  submitting  himself  unconditionally  to  His 
guidance.  Not,  how^ever,  until  we  are  thus  subject  to  Him 
are  we  really  free  ;  for  man,  delivered  from  the  snare  of  the 
devil,  and  from  the  dominion  of  sin,  is,  in  the  ardour  of  his 
love,  willingly  subject  to  the  Lord,  and  ready  to  execute  his 
commands.  There  is  a  stage,  however,  in  the  state  of  grace 
likewise,  to  which  our  Saviour's  address  to  Peter  may  be 
applicable.  The  period  in  which  "a  man  girds  himself, 
and  walks  tvhither  he  luould,"  is  likewise  that  which  we  are 
wont  to  designate  as  that  of  first  love,  and  we  do  so  willingly, 
though  the  designation  be  not  strictly  accurate.  We  then 
spread  wide  our  sails  in  all  the  joy  of  faith.  All  that  wc 
desire  is  realised,  and  whatever  we  undertake  for  the  honour 
of  God  succeeds.  Answer  upon  answer  crowns  our  prayers. 
In  profession  and  in  action  we  venture  everything,  and  every- 
thing succeeds.  It  would  seem  as  though  the  Lord  had  ^ 
placed  all  the  riches  of  His  gifts,  His  power,  and  His  aid  at 


PETEE'S  WAY.  159 

our  command.  Of  these  we  almost  dispose  at  pleasure. 
Assured  of  success,  we  apply  ourselves,  now  in  this  way  and 
now  in  that,  to  the  furtherance  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and, 
under  the  Divine  blessing,  everything  prospers.  At  this 
season  it  seems  as  though  the  Lord  wished  to  bring  us  near 
to  Himself,  and,  by  the  successful  experiences  with  which  He 
favours  us,  to  provide  a  viaticum  for  our  further  journey. 
But  this  course  of  things  will  not  last  always.  To  days  of 
such  continued  joys — to  such  eagle  flights — there  generally 
follow  days  of  another  complexion,  when,  in  the  words  of 
the  prophet,  a  man's  soul  seems  to  be  "  even  as  a  weaned 
child,"  and  he  has  to  prepare  himself  for  a  future  similar  to 
that  which  our  Lord  disclosed  to  Peter. 

"  But  luhen  thou  shalt  be  old,"  continues  the  Lord.  "  Yes/' 
think  ye,  "  old  age  will  preserve  us  from  too  rash  enterprises, 
and  is  only  too  well  fitted  to  temper  and  to  quell  the  inso- 
lent '  I  will.'  "  But,  my  friends,  do  not  anticipate  the  future  ; 
rather  listen  to  our  Lord.  "  But  when  thou  shalt  he  old," 
He  says,  "  tJiou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another 
shall  (jird  thee,  and  carry  thee  vjhither  thou  wouldest  not!' 
How  does  Peter  receive  these  words  ?  You  will  not  do  him 
injustice  to  suppose  that,  startled  at  first,  he  shrank  back  at 
the  words,  ''and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not;" 
for  such  is  the  experience  of  all  who  walk  in  the  way  of  the 
Lord !  Man  would  then  fain  do  this,  but  he  must  do  that 
Inclination  points  this  way,  l>ut  the  path  to  be  trod  lies  in 
the  opposite  direction.  Israel  would  fain  go  to  Canaan,  but 
they  are  ordered  to  go  to  Marah.  We  had  hoped  to  gather 
roses,  but  thonis  and  thistles  tear  our  hands.  Is  not,  then, 
the  will  of  the  regenerate  in  harmony  with  that  of  God  ?  It 
is ;  but  though  restrained,  the  old  nature  still  lives  along 
with  the  new,  and  for  the  former  the  cross  is  variously 
shaped.  The  spirit  willingly  accedes  to  this  crucifixion,  but 
the  flesh  trembles  and  recoils  from  it.     Nor  is  it  always  the 


160  PETERS  WAY. 

natural  will  which  has  to  be  denied.  It  is  not  unfrequently 
imposed  u^^on  us  to  deny  the  will  of  the  regenerated  spirit. 
Fain  would  we  attain  sanctification  with  the  rapidity  of 
flight,  and  yet  we  see  our  goal  ever  receding  from  us.  Fain 
would  we  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  and  the  Lord  allows  whole 
swarms  of  the  most  painful  doubts,  like  locusts,  to  settle 
upon  us.  Fain  would  we  ever  feel  the  flame  of  devotion 
burn  on  the  altar  of  the  heart,  and  breathe  even  now  the 
balmy  air  of  paradise,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  Immanuel's 
presence ;  and  we  find  ourselves  in  a  wilderness,  sufl'ering 
the  most  trying  spiritual  deprivations,  and  w^e  starve,  despite 
all  the  promises  by  which  we  should  be  comforted.  To  pro- 
mote the  glory  of  God,  we  would  fain  attempt  great  and 
praiseworthy  things  innumerable,  and  yet  are  constrained  to 
see  our  fairest,  noblest  plans,  one  after  the  other,  wrecked. 
What  could  be  more  painful  than  all  this  ?  But  what  was 
there  aimed  at  in  it  by  God's  counsel  and  will  ?  We  must 
learn  to  yield  up  ourselves  fully  and  unconditionally  to  the 
Lord,  and  to  rest  satisfied  with  His  grace.  The  more  we 
are  thus  exercised,  the  more  freely  and  the  more  richly  will 
the  powers  of  Divine  grace  develop  themselves  in  us,  and 
the  more  useful  shall  we  become  as  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  Him  who  wills  not  only  that  His  name  shall  be  glorified 
in  us,  but  likewise  through  us. 

Not  for  a  moment  does  Peter  doubt  whether  our  Lord's 
mysterious  address  was  merely  intended  to  prepare  him  in  a 
general  way  for  a  life  of  trouble,  but  he  holds  it  to  have 
been  intended  to  convey  a  distinct  intimation  of  the  mode  of 
death  by  ivhich  (as  the  evangelist  expresses  it)  "  he  shoidd 
glorify  God."  The  words,  "  When  thou  shalt  he  old,  thou 
shalt  stretch  forth  thine  hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee, 
and  carry  thee  whither  thou  vjoiddest  not,"  had  already  de- 
picted to  him  in  the  clearest  characters  the  public  issue  of 
his  earthly  pilgrimage.     "  Thou  shalt  stretch  forth   thine 


Peter's  way.  161 

hands."  How  well  does  he  forebode  both  the  mode  and  the 
design!  ''Another  shall  gird  thee/'  Who  is  the  other 'i 
"  Yes,"  thinks  Peter,  "  it  is  He  above,  without  whose  will 
not  even  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground ;  but  besides  Him 
— the  imperial  Roman  executioner  !"  He  ''will  gird  thee  !" 
Peter  knows  right  well  why  he  will  do  so.  "And  carry 
thee  ichither  thou  luouldest  not."  What  other  spot  j^resents 
itself  to  the  mind  of  Simon  than  the  bloody  mount  of  cruci- 
fixion ?  Had  his  interpretation  of  his  Master's  address  been 
other  than  that  which  he  felt  bound  to  give  it,  all  hesitancy 
as  to  his  right  apprehension  of  it  was  removed  by  its  ex- 
pressive final  clause,  "  Folloiu  me!'  It  was  now  clearly  re- 
vealed that  Simon  would  one  day  share  his  Master's  bloody 
fate.  The  end  of  his  earthly  journey  was  to  be  marked  by 
a  cross ;  and  if  from  this  time  it  spread  a  dark  shadow  over 
his  whole  life,  if  a  settled  melancholy  tempered  the  confi- 
dence of  his  faith,  if  all  the  splendour  of  this  world  lay  bare 
before  him  in  all  its  nothingness,  who  will  marvel  at  it? 
When  subsequently  we  hear  this  blessed  disciple  speak,  or 
when  we  read  his  epistles,  frequently  it  will  occur  to  us  that 
the  cross  is  clearly  present  to  his  mind,  and  that  the  sight  of 
it  deeply  moves  and  touches  him.  It  is  true  the  cross  would 
secure  him  the  desired  opportunity  of  covering  and  obliter- 
ating his  sad  denial  by  a  noble  confession.  Simon  was  to 
''glorify  God  in  his  death," — i.e.,  he  should  not  only  seal 
and  confirm  his  faith  as  having  been  wrought  of  God,  but 
become  an  object  in  whom  God  would  glorify  the  power  of 
His  grace  in  rendering  it  equal  to  the  terrors  of  death.  He 
was  to  travel  in  the  same  path  as  his  heavenly  King,  and 
follow  Him,  not  only  as  far  as  the  disgraceful  and  torturing 
death  of  the  martyr's  stake,  but  go,  at  the  same  time,  further 
still,  into  the  realms  of  bliss.  What  a  prospect  is  this  for 
him !  How  it  must  have  raised  liim,  and  have  sweetened  all 
that  awaited  him  !    But,  nevertheless,  there  it  was  on  record, 

L 


]  62  petee's  way. 

"  They  shall  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not"  His 
human  nature  strove  and  qucailed.  In  the  meanwhile, 
Simon,  be  assured  it  is  thy  Saviour  who  has  fixed  all  that 
shall  betide  thee,  and  who  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake 
thee ! 

Our  discij^le  knows  this,  too,  himself,  and  though  not 
exulting,  nevertheless  goes  on  steadily  in  the  way  which  is 
assigned  him.  "  But,"  I  hear  you  say,  "  a  cross,  the  reward 
of  the  disciple's  unreserved  resignation  to  his  Lord  and 
master !  An  appointment  to  the  scaffold,  the  earnest  of  his 
renewed  apostolate  V  Be  not  perplexed  by  this,  my  friends  I 
Thousands  of  times  you  will  see  the  children  of  God  walk- 
ing in  far  more  difhcult  paths  than  most  of  the  children  of 
this  world.  He  who  seeks  a  smooth  path  and  shuns  thorns, 
had  better  give  up  following  the  Lord  at  the  outset.  The 
poet  sings,  "  God's  ordinance  is  sure,  and  remains  for  ever 
unmoved.  When  the  conflict  is  over,  His  friends  and  wed- 
ding guests  shall  be  made  happy  ;"  and  in  another  verse  of 
the  same  hymn,  "Those  who  dwell  in  Salem's  walls  shew 
their  crowns  of  thorns."  The  Lord  is  only  concerned  that 
His  children  be  prepared  here  below  to  be  "vessels  of 
honour,"  and  fit  for  tlie  heavenly  life.  Hence  the  flesh 
must  be  crucified,  that  the  spirit  may  have  room  for  its  free 
and  unbounded  flight. 

IL  After  our  Lord  had  raised  the  veil  from  the  closing 
scene  of  His  disciple's  earthly  pilgrimage,  He  turns  round 
and  leaves  the  spot.  Simon  does  so  too,  as  though  he  would 
at  once  typically  fulfil  the  command,  "Follow  me."  And  he 
follows,  not  only  with  his  feet,  but  with  all  his  heart.  How 
absolutely  freed  from  all  earthly  ties  does  Peter  feel  himself 
by  the  revelation  just  made  to  him  !  and  how  wholly  is  he 
thereby  cast  to  depend  alone  upon  the  Lord  !  As  if  the 
bloody  hour  were  already  come ;  and  just  as  a  child  keeps 
near  its  mother  when  danger  threatens,  so  would  he  fain 


PETER'S  WAY.  163 

cling  to  the  Bridegroom  of  liis  soul  with  all  the  grapplings  of 
his  mind  now  melted  in  silent  grief.  And  it  is  so  with  our 
hearts  too,  after  havinii:  been  Ions;  cheered  with  the  sunshine 
of  Divine  complacency,  when  we  behold  the  dark  shadows  of 
sorrow  or  of  approaching  death  settling  on  our  life.  If  love 
to  the  Lord  have  for  a  while  lain  dormant  and  inert  within 
us,  how  does  it  waken  up  again  with  renewed  energy,  and 
how  intensely  and  sensitively  conscious  do  we  once  more 
become  that  He  is  our  only  comfort  and  our  only  refuge  in 
life  and  in  death  !  Our  affectionate  yearnings  and  our  affiance, 
developing  themselves  afresh,  clasp  Him  with  all  their  young 
tendrils,  and  are  in  harmony  with  the  deep  truth  expressed 
by  David  in  the  words,  "  Hoiu  excellent  is  thy  loving-kind- 
ness, 0  God !  therefore  the  chikWen  of  men  jout  their  trust 
under  the  shadow  of  thy  tuings."  "  Thou  hast  beeri  my  help. 
My  soul  foUoiueth  hard  after  thee :  thy  right  hand  uphold- 
eth  me." 

But  what  does  Simon  still  desire  of  our  Lord  ?  Nothino- 
but  that  he  may  be  permitted  to  remain  near  Him.  Were 
fiery  billows  surging  between  him  and  Jesus,  Peter  would 
swim  through  them  to  Him,  as  he^once  before  had  swam  to 
Him  throus^h  the  waves  of  the  sea.  What  wondrous  mao-netic 
influence  has  the  person  of  Christ  upon  a  sinner  thoroughly 
aware  of  his  poverty  and  helplessness  !  There  is  nothing  in 
the  wide  world  which  equals  the  attractive  and  enchaining 
power,  which  He  exercises  upon  a  contrite  soul  convinced  of 
sin.  It  is  then  first  learned  that  the  climax  of  future  bliss 
will  consist  in  seeing  Him  as  He  is,  and  in  dwelling  ever 
near  His  throne  ;  and  the  words  of  Asaph,  "  Whom  have  I  in 
heaven  hut  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  on  earth  that  I  desire 
beside  thee!''  most  happily  express  the  feelings  of  the  swell- 
ing heart. 

Simon,  following  the  Lord,  had  advanced  but  some  few 
steps,  when  he  looked  suddenly  round.     In  search  of  whom  ? 


164)  Peter's  way. 

Next  to  the  Saviour  himself  there  was,  as  you  know,  no  one 
so  near  his  heart  as  the  friend  whom  he  at  this  moment 
saw  at  a  distance  following  the  Lord  likewise.  It  is  John, 
who  here  acjain  introduces  himself  under  the  charminoj  and 
significant  title  of  which  he  is  so  fond.  He  describes  him- 
self as  ''the  disciple  tvhom  Jesus  loved."  Yes,  the  love  of 
Jesus  to  him,  of  which  he  had  received  so  many  and  such 
delightful  proofs, — Christ's  love  to  him,  and  not  his  love  to 
Christ, — was  his  boast,  as  it  also  was  the  source  of  all  his 
comfort  and  of  all  bis  hope.  But  why  is  it  that  John  pre- 
cisely here  makes  mention  of  that  affectionate  intimate  re- 
lation with  which  his  Master  honoured  him  ?  The  motive  is 
so  much  the  more  pleasing  as  it  is  truly  touching.  He  there- 
by manifestly  seeks  to  invalidate  the  charge  of  forwardness 
which  might  have  been  raised  against  him  for  having 
ventured  to  follow  his  Master,  when  he  was  in  the  act  of 
leaving,  without  waiting  for  an  invitation  to  do  so.  It  is  as 
if  he  would  say,  "  /  dared  to  do  it,  as  the  disciple  who  lay 
on  Jesus'  breast.  I  dared  to  do  it  all  the  more  readily,  since 
on  that  evening  when  Christ  declared,  'One  of  you  shall  betray 
me,'  I  knew  the  corruptioil  and  the  weakness  of  the  human 
heart  sufliciently  to  distrust  myself,  that  if  the  storm  of 
temptation  should  burst,  and  I  were  not  upheld  by  grace,  I 
myself  might  be  hurried  away  to  commit  that  crime,  and 
hence,  therefore,  was  the  first  to  say  in  astonishment,  '  Lord, 
is  it  IV  Is  it  then  unpardonable  in  me,  if  I  too,  as  well  as 
my  brother  Simon,  heartily  desire  to  hide  myself  under  the 
gracious  protection  of  the  Lord  who  is  my  only  rock  and 
sure  defence,  as  a  chicken  under  the  wings  of  the  parent 
bird?"  Perhaps  John  wished  to  give  us  to  understand  this, 
by  recalling  an  incidental  scene  at  the  Last  Supper. 

The  ties  of  friendship  which  bound  Simon  and  John  to 
each  other  were  closer  than  those  which  in  days  of  yore 


PETER 'S  WAY.  I55 

united  David  and  Joiiatnan.  Oast  but  a  glance  upon  the 
pages  of  New  Testament  history,  and  you  will  almost  always 
find  these  two  together — the  character  of  each  respectively 
being  so  beautifully  the  complement  of  that  of  the  other. 
And  would  you  read  Peter's  life  without  the  blemishes  which 
here  and  there,  in  the  other  three  Gospels,  mar  the  portrait 
of  that  apostle,  who  is  so  deserving  of  love,  read  it  in  the 
fourth,  where  nearly  everything  which  could  be  alleged 
against  John's  beloved  friend,  is  alluded  to  in  the  most 
sparing  manner,  and  covered  with  the  mantle  of  love.  And 
without  prejudice  to  historical  truth,  there  is  here  thrown,, 
even  upon  Peter's  denial,  a  softer  light,  because  John  takes 
a  part  of  his  friend's  guilt  upon  himself  by  his  mention  of 
another  "  disciple  "  who  had  introduced  Simon  into  the  high 
priest's  palace,  and  who  had  therefore  brouglit  him  to  the 
fatal  snare  ;  and  this  ''  disciple  "  is,  beyond  doubt,  no  other 
than  John  himself. 

Now  when  Simon,  most  profoundly  moved  by  the  recent 
announcement,  looking  back,  sees  his  friend  John,  what  train 
of  thouglit  stirs  within  him  ?  "  Ah  ! "  thinks  he,  "  were 
you  only  to  remain  with  me,  and  were  it  permitted  us  to 
fight  and  die  for  the  Lord  together  !"  And  with  his  mind 
so  occupied,  every  sorrow  seems  ligliter — even  the  dreadful 
cross  itself  appears  less  terrible.  We  can  appreciate  the 
feelings  which  involuntarily  suggested  the  question,  ''Lord, 
and  tuJicit  shall  this  man  do?" — a  question  which  has  no 
other  meaning  than  this,  "  What  path  in  life  will  he  have 
to  pursue?  will  he  be  my  companion,  and  share  my  lot?'* 
And  surely  such  a  feeling  cannot  incur  our  censure.  It  is 
so  human,  and  is  based  only  upon  tender,  brotherly  love. 
The  bitterest  trial  is  alleviated  when  shared  by  a  congenial 
friend.  And  what  a  friend  and  companion  he  had  in  John ! 
To  Simon  abundant  comfort   and    encouraoement  were  in- 


166  PETER'S  WAY. 

volved  in  the  thought  that  our  Lord  would  grant  him  his 
heart's  desire  in  uniting  the  path  of  his  bosom  friend  with 
his  own.     But  how  does  our  Lord  answer  him  ? 

III.  His  answer  is  not  severe,  neither  does  it  put  His 
disciple  to  shame.  He  knows  the  poor  human  heart,  and 
compassionates  our  weakness.  But  Simon  is  not  spared  a 
well-meant  repulse.  A  salutary  lesson  was  conveyed  by  his 
Master's  answer  to  him,  and  to  ns  likewise.  Our  Lord  says, 
"  7/  /  will  that  he  [John]  tarry  till  I  come,  tuhat  is  that  to 
thee  ?  follow  thou  me!'  An  utterance  of  majesty,  intoned 
and  delivered  as  from  the  throne  of  the  Most  High  ;  but  per- 
fectly becoming  in  Him,  to  whom,  after  He  had  fulfilled  His 
great  work,  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  eartli  was  given.  In 
sovereign  omnipotence,  He  freely  disposes  of  all  that  have 
breath,  but  especially  of  their  lives  and  destinies  whom  He 
has  bought  with  His  blood.  At  His  sacred  pleasure  He 
determines  the  plan  of  their  lives,  and,  unshackled.  He  leads 
and  calli^  one  in  this  v/ay  and  another  in  that.  His  will  is 
universal  law  ;  to  it  every  creature  is  subject,  and  one  day 
all  tongues  will  be  constrained  to  confess  that  He  is  Lord,  to 
the  glory  of  the  Father.  The  time  is  coming  when  those 
who  blasphemed  His  holy  name,  with  Satan  and  Antichrist 
at  their  head,  shall  lick  the  dust  from  off  His  feet,  and  trem- 
blingly acknowledge  "  Him  whom  they  pierced." 

'If  I  luill,"  says  our  Lord.  How  is  the  great  armada  of 
contradictions  and  objections  to  His  Godhead  dashed  to 
pieces  upon  tliis  His  royal  word  !  How  shall  they,  who  pre- 
tend that  Jesus  never  declared  Himself  to  be  anything  higher 
than  one  of  us,  save  as  He  was  mentally  and  morally  pre- 
eminent, get  over  this  passage,  "  If  I  will,"  without  laying 
down  their  arms?  How  can  they  manage  with  this  passage, 
who,  with  shameless  audacity,  make  the  random  assertion 
that  Christ  never  challenged  for  Himself  any  other  sway  than 
that  wliich  He  exerted  upon  earth  by  His  own  example,  and 


PETER'S  WAY.  167 

by  the  spirit  of  His  teacliing  ?  Oli,  what  a  different  estimate 
will  they  one  day  form  of  His  power  and  dominion  !  If  He 
only  "luiU,"  He  can  in  a  moment  destroy,  by  the  liglitning  of 
His  anger,  the  whole  band  of  His  opponents  ;  but  He  can 
just  as  quickly,  without  effort,  and  by  almighty  grace,  change 
tlie  lion  into  a  lamb,  and  raise  up  from  stones  children  to  our 
father  Abraham. 

''  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,"  says  Jesus  ;  and  we 
reply,  "  Yes,  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt,  John  shall  not  die,  but  shall 
remain  to  the  last  great  day ! "  But  the  Master  does  not 
intend  to  extend  His  disciple's  life  until  that  time.  Many 
indeed  have  understood  these  words  to  signify  that  John 
should  never  die ;  and  this  opinion  prevailed  even  to  the 
time  of  Augustine,  for  we  find  the  legend,  that  at  that  day 
it  was  currently  believed  John  had  been  indeed  buried,  but 
that  he  was  only  slumbering  in  his  grave,  and  that  any  one 
carefully  observing  it  might  see  the  earth  over  him  gently 
heave  mth  his  breathing.  But  John  himself  corrects  this 
misconception  in  his  Gospel.  In  it,  speaking  of  this  subject, 
he  expressly  says,  "Jesus  said  not  unto  Simon,  He  shall  not 
die  ;  but,  If  I  tuill  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  luhat  is  that  to 
thee  ? "  But  how  are  we  to  understand  these  words  ?  Our 
Lord  evidently  referred  to  His  impending  judgment  over 
Jerusalem.  This  overthrow,  which  attained,  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  temple,  its  dreadful,  and  in  every  way  important, 
consummation,  both  symbolical  and  historical,  was — as  it 
involved  the  final  abrogation  of  the  Old  Testament  economy 
— of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  its 
development.  This  event,  which  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
new  epoch  in  the  Church  of  God  on  the  ruins  of  the  former 
one,  which  was  removed  but  to  make  way  for  the  new  era, 
John  survived  and  witnessed.  But  the  view  entertained  by 
those  who  said,  "  This  disciple  shall  not  die,"  nevertheless 
approved  itself  true  in  a  deeper  and  moro  ,^])iritual  sense. 


IC)S  Peter's  way, 

Jolin  lives  among  us  in  his  writings  and  in  his  character 
even  to  this  hour,  and  will  continue  to  do  so,  to  the  joy  of 
all  God's  children,  to  the  end  of  time. 

But  the  lesson  which  Simon  and  all  his  future  companions 
in  the  faith  should  derive  from  our  Lord's  response  is  clear. 
The  Lord  leads  each  of  His  people  as  in  His  divine  wisdom 
and  love  seems  to  Him  best,  each  in  his  own  peculiar  way. 
He  appoints  to  every  disciple  his  lot,  as  each  severally  has 
need ;  and,  educating  one  in  this  way,  another  in  that.  He 
makes  them  meet  for  everlasting  life.  This  is  the  meaning 
of  His  words — "  If  I  will  that  John  should  arrive  at  his 
destination  by  a  smoother  path  than  thou,  Simon  Peter, 
what  is  that  to  thee?  resign  thyself  to  my  guidance,  and 
'  follow  thou  me.' ""  Peter  has  now  thoroughly  understood 
his  Master,  and  assuredly  will  never  ask  again,  "  What  shall 
this  man  doV  but  vv^li  make  the  words  of  David  his  own, 
'As  the  eyes  of  servants  look  unto  the  hand  of  their 
masters,  and  as  the  eyes  of  a  maiden  unto  the  hand  of  her 
mistress,  so  shall  my  eyes  wait  %ipon  thee,  0  Lord ! " 
With  confiding  humility,  he  is  contented  to  submit  himself 
wholly  to  the  guidance  of  Him  whom  he  loves,  and  never 
will  he  allow  the  "  Follow  thou  me  "  to  slip  from  his  memory. 
And,  in  fact,  he  did  follow  his  Master  even  to  that  mount 
where  he  stretched  out  his  hands,  another  girding  him 
and  leading  him  whither  the  incHnation  of  the  flesh  most 
certainly  "luoidd  not."  Tradition  reports  that  he  was  crucified 
A.D.  C4,  during  Nero's  persecution,  but  with  his  head  down- 
wards, because  he  refused  to  die  in  the  same  position  as  his 
Lord  and  Master  had  done,  as  being  an  honour  far  too  great 
for  him.  Peter  has  been  honoured,  and  not  unreasonably  so, 
with  the  name  of  the  "Apostle  of  Christian  hope."  Since 
our  Lord,  as  we  have  seen,  had  fixed  Peter's  horoscope,  a 
ileep  inward  longing  for  heaven  pervades  all  his  discourses,  as 


rETKlfs  WAY.  169 

well  as  his  two  epistles,  and  the  object  of  his  sight,  thought, 
and  expectation,  is  everywhere  the  "day  of  the  Lord." 

May  the  expression,  "  What  is  that  to  thee '^  follow  thou 
me  I "  be  brought  home  to  our  hearts  also,  and  may  we  be 
contented  and  bappy  when  we  but  know  that  we  are  under 
His  guidance.  That  which  the  sacred  hymnologist,  Gottfried 
Arnold,  sung  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  originating 
in  his  own  rich,  heartfelt  experience,  still  remains  true,  and 
will  continually  receive  fresh  testimony  : — 

"  How  blest  to  all  Thy  followers,  Lord,  the  road 
By  which  Thou  lead'st  them  on,  yet  oft  how  strange  I 
But  Thou  in  all  dost  seek  our  highest  good, 
For  truth  were  truth  no  longer  couldst  Thou  change. 
Though  crooked  seem  the  paths,  yet  are  they  straight, 
By  which  Thou  draw'st  Thy  childi-eu  up  to  Thee, 
And  passing  wonders  by  the  way  they  see, 
And  learn  at  last  to  own  Thee  wise  and  great.     Amen." 

Lyra  Gennanica. 


170  THE  KISEN  SAVIOUR  SEEN  OF  MORE  THAN 


XIII. 

THE  EISEN  SAVIOUR  SEEN  OF  MOEE  THAN 
FIVE  HUNDRED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE, 

When  the  apostle  John  (chap.  xxi.  25)  conchides  his  Gospel, 
or  rather  his  narrative  of  the  manifestations  of  the  risen 
Saviour,  with  the  words,  "  There  are  also  many  other  things 
vjhich  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if  tliey  sliould  he  loritten  every 
one,  I  supijose  that  even  the  world  itself  coidd  not  contain 
the  hooks  that  should  he  written,''  \yq  are  not  to  explain  it 
away  as  mere  hyperbole  or  exaggeration.  The  word  in  the 
original  *  is  not  to  be  understood  as  referring  to  space,  but 
to  spiritual  comprehension.  In  this  latter  sense,  we  must 
also  accept  the  same  word  in  Matt.  xix.  H — "All  men 
cannot  receive  this  saying,  save  they  to  whom  it  is  given ; " 
and  in  the  verse  immediately  following,  "  He  that  is  able  to 
receive  it,  let  him  receive  [i.e.,  comprehend]  it."  We  know 
what  the  scriptural  designation  "  cosmos  "  (jcoaiio^)  means — 
viz.,  the  world.  What  John  intends  to  say  amounts  to 
this — If  all  that  the  Lord  had  said  and  done  upon  earth, 
especially  in  His  glorified  form,  had  been  recorded  in 
detail,  of  what  advantage  would  it  be  ?  Enough  has  been 
narrated  for  those  who  are  anxious  for  salvation,  and 
for  believers.  The  eyangelist  says  this  himself  in  another 
passage,  (chap.  xx.  30,  31,) — ''And  many  other  signs  truly 

♦  x^priaai,  receive;  figuratively,  comprehend.     In  Luther's  version  it  is 
rendered  hegreifen. 


FIVE  HUNDRED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE.  ]  71 

did  Jesus  in  tJie  presence  of  his  disciples,  ivJiich  are  not 
written  in  this  hook:  hut  these  are  written,  that  ye  mir/ht 
helieve  that  Jesus  is  the  GJiiist,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that 
hclievinrj,  ye  might  have  life  through  his  name!'  A  more 
ample,  a  more  extended  narrative  would  opjDress  rather  than 
elevate,  would  suggest  difficulties  rather  than  convert,  since, 
without  doubt,  far  more  wonderful  incidents  than  those 
related,  belonging  to  the  now  glorified  life  of  the  risen 
Saviour,  and  extending  far  beyond  our  every-day  experience, 
and  the  limits  of  the  laws  of  nature  as  known  to  us,  mioht 
have  been  given.  That  which  lias  already  been  reported 
excites  thoughtless  and  sceptical  astonishment  enough,  among 
the  children  of  this  world,  to  make  them  shake  their  heads, 
and  is  more  than  sufficient  to  exasperate  their  sinful  preju- 
dices. To  have  increased  the  number  of  these  incidents,  by 
the  addition  of  fresh  manifestations,  still  further  beyond  the 
field  of  human  vision  and  experience,  miglit  possibly  have 
transcended  the  comprehension  and  the  faculty  of  spiritual 
digestion  even  of  the  better  disposed,  nay,  even  of  real 
believers.  But  it  has  nevertheless  pleased  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  inform  us,  through  the  apostle  Paul,  of  some  things  con- 
cerning the  forty  days  which  are  not  found  in  the  Gospels. 
That  this  must  have  been  done  with  some  special  design  is 
very  apparent.  This  design  will  unfold  itself  to  us  as  we 
more  closely  examine  the  apostolic  communications  in  ques- 
tion. Let  us  begin  with  the  consideration  of  an  Easter 
scene,  which  sgldom  receives  the  attention  of  which  it  is  in 
the  highest  degree  worthy. 

1  Cou.  XV.  G. 

"  After  that,  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once ;  of 
whom  the  greater  part  remain  unto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen 
asleep." 

Repeatedly   had   our    Lord    intimated    to    His    disciples, 


172  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUE  SEEN  OF  MOEE  THAN 

"After  I  am  risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Gali- 
lee." We  know,  from  the  apostle's  declaration,  that  "  God 
hath  chosen  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are 
despised,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought 
things  that  are ;  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence," 
(1  Cor.  i.  28.)  The  inhabitants  of  Judea,  and  especially 
those  of  the  Holy  City,  looked  down  with  pride  and  haughti- 
ness upon  Galilee  as  spiritually  and  morally  degraded.  But 
what  does  Scripture  say  ? — "  Where  sin  abounded,  grace  did 
much  more  abound."  To  our  Lord  it  seemed  that  there  was 
no  place  so  needing  His  help  and  salvation  as  Galilee.  What 
wonder,  then,  that  our  Lord,  at  least  until  the  formation  of 
the  Pentecostal  Church  at  Jerusalem,  obtained  the  majority 
of  His  disciples  from  the  Galileans.  And  this  explains  why 
He  selected  this  province  to  be  the  principal  theatre  of  His 
personal  manifestations  after  His  resurrection.  It  is  to  one 
of  the  last  of  these — that  on  which  He  vouchsafed  to  present 
Himself  to  more  than  five  hundred  brethren  at  once — that 
we  are  now  about  to  direct  our  attention.  All  that  is  re- 
ported to  us  concerning  it  seems,  at  first,  like  the  frame 
without  the  picture.  But  when  examined  more  closely,  the 
painting  itself  will  likewise  disclose  itself  to  us  :  and,  in  the 
first  place,  the  scene  throius  a  corroborating  light  on  the 
ministry  of  Jesus  ivhilst  on  earth  ;  then  it  serves  as  afresh 
confirmation  of  the  i^esurrection ;  and,  lastly,  it  gives  a  clear 
idea  of  the  great  results  of  Christ's  resurrection. 

May  we  become  more  fully  conscious  of  it,  and,  by  our 
meditation,  promote  our  own  peace  and  welfare ! 

L  Our  Lord  appeared  to  "five  hundred  brethren" — i.e.j 
to  five  hundred  believing  disciples — "  at  once."  This  account 
fills  us  with  surprise.  We  could  hardly  have  dared  to  cal- 
culate upon  so  rich  a  result  from  His  labours.  During  His 
earthly  career,  we  had  imagined  that  the  hundred  and  twenty 
faithful  ones,  whom  we  find  assembled  in  the  porch  of  the 


FIVE  HUifDRED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE.  J  73 

temple  shortly  before  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  constituted  the 
total  gains  of  His  ministry  of  love.  During  the  three  years 
of  His  public  labours,  we  have  seen  Him,  with  the  exception 
of  the  twelve  and  the  seventy,  almost  ever  surrounded  by 
decided  enemies,  or  by  crowds  who  only  shouted  their  hosan- 
nas  to  Him  as  long  as  they  were  held  by  the  illusion  that  in 
Him  their  carnal  ideal  of  the  Messiah  would  be  realised.  In 
the  measure  in  which  this  idea  was  dissipated  were  their 
loud  plaudits  silenced,  and  the  "  Crucify  him  :"  of  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  was  substituted  as  the  watchword  of  public 
opinion.  Even  the  sick  and  impotent,  whom  our  Lord  mira- 
culously healed,  but  very  seldom  give  us  reason  to  hope  that 
they  recognised  in  their  Deliverer  from  bodily  infirmities 
Uim  whom,  had  they  been  anxious  for  salvation,  they  would 
have  embraced  with  eagerness  as  the  Physician  and  Saviour 
of  their  immortal  souls.  Of  the  thousands  whom  He  had 
miraculously  fed  in  the  desert,  more  than  a  few  certainly  did 
continue  for  a  while  to  follow  Him.  But  why  ?  Simply  "  for 
the  sake  of  the  meat  luhich  perisheth,"  as  He  himself  up- 
braided them.  Of  the  ten  lepers  whom  He  relieved  of  their 
frightful  disorder  by  His  creative  fiat,  only  one  returned  to 
thank  Him  for  the  ineffable  benefit  which  they  had  all  re- 
ceived. Whether  Jairus,  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  whose 
little  daughter  was  raised  to  life  by  Jesus,  ever  became  His 
disciple  and  follower,  we  know  not.  Nay,  we  read  nothing 
of  the  kind  with  reference  to  the  two  blind  men  at  Jericho 
to  whom  He  restored  their  sight ;  and  we  even  hear  Him 
saying,  with  an  accent  of  serious  warning,  to  the  man  whom 
He  had  relieved  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda  of  a  disease  of  eight 
and  thirty  years'  standing,  when  He  afterwards  met  Him  in 
the  temple,  "Behold,  thou  art  made  whole  ;  sin  no  more,  lest 
a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee."  After  such  notices,  the  little 
company  which  Jesus  gained  to  His  banner  during  His  earthly 
course  could  be  but  very  insignificant  in  point  of  luimbers, 


I  74  THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  SEEN  OF  ]\IORE  THAN 

and  would  seem  but  as  a  drop  in  a  bucket ;  and  this  might 
easily,  in  some  measure  at  least,  diminish  the  high  idea  which 
we  had  cherished  of  the  power  of  Christ's  personal  influence, 
and  of  His  superhuman  glory  breaking  forth  through  the 
veil  of  His  outward  form  of  a  servant,  as  also  of  the  irresis- 
tibly attractive  power  of  His  gracious  and  love-breathing 
nature.  Suddenly,  however,  a  multitude  of  Galilean  con- 
verts attract  our  notice,  of  whose  existence  we  had  not  pre- 
viously the  remotest  idea.  They  are  more  than  five  hundred 
in  number,  and  in  a  moment  the  danger  is  over  of  our  enter- 
taining unworthy  conceptions  of  the  sublime  form  borne  by 
the  only-begotten  of  the  Father  before  His  exaltation.  Those 
believers  all  saw  and  knew  the  Lord  Jesus  personally ;  they 
had  careful!}^  observed  and  followed  Him  in  all  the  most 
varied  circumstances  and  relations  of  life.  As  they  had  seen 
Him  in  mere  human  fashion  discharge  all  the  duties  of  social 
life,  as  son,  brother,  friend,  as  the  guest  of  His  friends,  and 
as  a  Teachor  of  Israel,  so  had  they  likewise  been  witnesses 
of  His  superhuman  deeds  and  wonders,  and  had  ever  had 
the  best  opportunity  of  hearing  His  incomparable  addresses 
and  teachings.  And  the  total  impression  which  His  person- 
ality made  upon  them  was  so  great  and  overpowering,  that, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  they  submitted  to  Him  for 
time  and  for  eternity,  not  only  as  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
the  Kino;  of  kings,  but  ratlier  as  that  Being  in  whom  alone 
they  recognised  the  Surety  of  their  future  bliss,  and  the  only 
Saviour  of  their  souls,  who  most  perfectly  corresponded  to 
their  holiest  as^^irations.  But  this  is  also  of  the  very  highest 
importance  to  us.  A  radiant  splendour  is  poured  over  all  the 
life  and  actions  of  our  Lord,  even  prior  to  the  hour  of  His 
exaltation,  when  we  draw  the  inferences — which  we  are  justi- 
fied in  doing,  from  the  sudden  presentation  to  our  notice  of 
a  body  of  disciples  which  had  previously  been  wholly  con- 
cealed— that  there  wore  other  similnr  ones  in  the  country, 


FIVE  HUM  DEED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE.  I'S 

equally  quiet  and  liidden,  of  wliicli  history  makes  no  men- 
tion, and  that  there  were,  moreover,  very  many  more  such  at 
the  time  when  our  Lord  closed  His  earthly  career.  At  the 
same  time,  the  account  with  which  Paul  here  surprises  us  is 
quite  calculated  to  make  the  present  appear  to  us  in  a  more 
consolatory  light.  Throughout  modern  Christendom,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  in  a  backsliding  state,  there  may 
yet  likewise  be,  apart  from  tliose  who  let  the  light  of  their 
confession  and  of  their  lives  sliine  in  tlie  darkness,  a  com- 
pany of  Christians,  veiled  and  hidden,  which  will  be  brought 
to  light  as  soon  as  the  great  sifting  of  the  nations,  which 
assuredly  is  imminent,  shall  take  place ;  and  then,  from  the 
mouth  of  another  tlian  that  of  Moses,  this  cry  will  be  heard, 
"Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side?  let  him  come  unto  me,"  (Exod. 
xxxii.  26.) 

II.  Those  brethren,  exceeding  five  hundred  in  number, 
whom  the  apostle  mentions,  were  now  likewise  in  Galilee, 
when  the  manifestation  of  their  risen  Master  was  vouchsafed 
to  them.  In  what  place  He  discovered  Himself  to  them  we 
do  not  learn.  Doubtless,  the  scene  of  this  heart-cheering 
meeting  was  some  solitary,  unfrequented  spot,  possibly  a 
mountain  or  a  desert,  where  the  friends  had  assembled  to 
avoid  the  persecution  of  their  countrymen.  We  are  not  in- 
formed whether  they  met  there  in  consequence  of  some 
influential  suggestion  that  they  should  do  so,  or  whether  they 
had  agreed  upon  this  meeting,  for  the  purpose  of  general 
edification,  mutual  encouragement,  and  confirmation  in  the 
faith.  We  only  learn  in  a  general  manner,  that  the  risen 
Lord  revealed  Himself  to  them,  and  to  them  all  at  once. 
Nothing  transpires  concerning  the  manner  of  this  revelation. 
It  must  have  been  a  very  impressive  scene.  Imagine  this 
numerous  assembly  of  true  believers,  gathered  together  under 
the  open  canopy  of  heaven,  joyfully  excited  by  the  news 
which  had  reached  them  from  Judea,  burning  with  desire  to 


176  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUK  SEEN  OF  MOKE  THAN 

hear  it  more  distinctly  confirmed.  And  lo  !  suddenly,  ere 
they  are  aware  of  it,  He,  who  fills  their  whole  soul,  Himself 
stands  in  their  midst  in  all  the  splendour  of  His  new  life, 
and  salutes  them  with  His  sweet  Easter  greeting.  What  im- 
portant communications  He  must  have  had  to  make  to  them, 
and  how  must  every  countenance  have  been  lighted  up  with 
more  than  earthly  joy  !  Truly  indeed,  if  fancy,  developed  in 
poesy  or  myth,  had  had  any  share  in  the  composition  of  the 
New  Testament  scriptures,  this  scene  would  not  have  been 
passed  by  without  being  embellished  in  every  possible  way. 
Here,  to  an  extent  transcending  all  that  could  be  found  else- 
where, seem  to  be  materials  for  description  and  for  painting. 
But  how  simply,  how  unadorned,  how  soberly,  and  almost 
dryly  is  the  grand  and  elevating  occurrence  related  !  It  is 
communicated  to  us  in  the  plainest  chronicle  style,  without 
the  least  mixture  of  poetic  embellishment ;  so  that  it  is  at 
once  evident,  that  here  there  was  no  other  purj^ose  than  that 
of  simply  reporting  what  had  been  really  seen  and  heard. 
But  this  most  firmly  establishes  the  authenticity  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  more  especially  that  of  the  New  Testament. 
Eead  it  wherever  we  may,  the  inevitable  impression,  and  that 
which  strikes  us  beyond  everything  else,  with  reference  to 
its  authors,  is,  that  we  have,  in  them  all,  to  do  with  sincere 
and  upright  men.  At  every  step  of  their  narrative  we  are 
met  with  the  fragrance  of  artless  truth  and  simplicity. 

It  might,  indeed,  be  asked,  why  the  apostle  did  not  report 
that  wondrous  manifestation  of  our  Lord  to  this  body  of 
more  than  five  hundred  disciples  in  a  less  circumscribed  and 
more  detailed  manner  to  us,  since  he,  undoubtedly,  was  in  a 
position  to  do  so.  Let  this  answer  suftice,  that  whenever  he 
took  up  the  pen,  he  was  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  ever  knows  what  is  profitable,  and  how  rightly  to 
apportion  it.  The  necessary  light  has  been  shed  on  the  fact 
and  fi'uits  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  by  the  more  detailed 


FIVE  HUNDEKD  WIINESSES  AT  ONCE,  177 

accounts  of  tlie  four  evangelists.  Those  narratives  do  not 
allow  us  even  for  one  niouieiit  to  doubt  that  Christ  really 
left  His  tomb,  and  that  in  a  glorified  body.  They  further 
supply  us  with  the  most  consolatory  proofs  that  He,  in  His 
iiiiijesty,  may  still  be  looked  upon  by  us  as  the  same  kind 
and  condescending  friend  of  sinners  which  He  ever  was  be- 
fore ;  that  it  was  not  until  He  had  thus  fulfilled  His  work  of 
redemption,  that  He  honoured  His  believers  with  the  endeared 
appellation,  and  one  so  full  of  i)romise,  as  "  brethren.''  And 
lastly,  they  assure  us  that,  though  unseen,  He  will  remain  with 
us  just  the  same  that  He  was  before  His  ascension,  even  to 
the  end  of  time.     What  then  do  we  further  need  ? 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  attestation  and  confirmation 
of  the  historical  truth  of  the  resurrection  for  us  who  are  weak 
in  the  faith.  And  because  this  miracle  forms  the  foundation 
upon  which  all  Christianity  is  based  and  supported,  the  Holy 
Ghost  condescends  to  our  necessity  with  especial  munificence, 
and  has  been  willing  to  do  that  for  its  maintenance  which  I 
might  designate  as  an  act  of  supererogation.  Hence  it  was 
that  He  moved  our  apostle  to  this  supplementary  communi- 
cation of  the  scene  of  which  we  now  treat ;  and,  indeed,  this 
announcement  serves  to  crown  all  the  proofs  of  the  reality  of 
the  resurrection  of  Christ.  Paul  wrote  his  First  Epistle  to 
the  Corinthians  about  A.D.  54,  and  it  is  a  fact  incontrovertibly 
established,  one  no  longer  denied  even  by  the  most  sceptical, 
that  Paul  of  Tarsus,  and  no  other  person,  really  is  the  author 
of  that  epistle.  And  since  this  man,  who  bears  the  stamp 
of  sincerity  on  his  brow,  publicly  states  before  all  the  world, 
that  the  risen  Saviour  upon  one  occasion  appeared  to  more 
than  five  hundred  brethren  at  once,  of  whom  some  only  were 
fallen  asleep,  whilst  the  majority  were  still  then  living,  he 
must,  of  course,  have  been  prepared,  on  this  disclosure  being 
made  known,  to  see  himself  assailed  on  all  sides  by  the 
question,  where  these  witnesses  were  to  be  met  with.    But  he 

M 


178  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUR  SEEN  OP  MORE  THAN 

was  also  perfectly  prepared  for  these  inquiries,  and  was  ever 
quite  ready  to  answer  the  inquirer  with  still  more  expKcit 
statements.  Thus  every  one  who  was  disposed  to  do  so, 
saw,  in  the  love  of  truth,  and  the  something  more  than  a 
tincture  of  enthusiasm  by  which  Paul  and  his  fellow-disciples 
were  characterised,  enough  to  warrant  his  placing  his  confi- 
dence in  them  ;  and  saw  likewise  enough  of  the  way  already 
open  by  which  they  might  arrive  at  the  fullest  conviction  of 
the  historic  truth  of  the  resurrection.  Such  a  one  only  needed 
to  resolve  to  go  round  and  visit  the  friends,  whom  Paul  would 
willingly  have  more  definitely  pointed  out  to  him,  in  order 
to  hear  from  the  most  temperate,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  most  credible  witnesses,  the  unanimous  assurance,  ''  Cer- 
tainly, He  is  alive  again,  the  Lord  who  died  upon  the  cross. 
We  saw  Him  with  our  own  eyes  standing  bodily  before  us, 
and  He  said  so  and  so  to  us  ! "  But  in  my  opinion  the 
apostle  himself  here  figures  as  an  adequately  sober  and  reli- 
able witness.  It  is  impossible  that  he  should  be  a  fanatic, 
who  says  with  all  calmness  and  self-possession,  "  What  I  tell 
you  really  took  place  ;  but  I  do  not  desire  that  you  should  rely 
upon  my  testimony  alone.  There  are  others,  more  than  five 
hundred  of  them  ;  go  and  ask  them,  and  they  will  all  confirm 
by  oath  what  I  tell  you."  This  apostolic  appeal  to  a  company 
of  witnesses,  of  whom,  at  the  time  when  he  appealed  to 
them,  the  greater  number  were  still  alive,  must  for  ever  free 
us  from  the  slightest  doubt  concerning  the  greatest,  and,  as 
to  its  results,  the  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  The  apostle's  assertion  is  of  no  less  weight  to  us 
than  would  be  the  corroborative  testimony  of  the  five  hundred 
brethren,  had  we  questioned  each  one  personally  ;  and  nothing 
is  more  certain  than  this,  that  much  obstinacy  and  wilfulness 
are  involved  in  withholding  belief  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  ;  whilst  but  a  few  grains  of  the  love  of  truth  are  needed 


FIVE  HUNDRED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE.  179 

to  enable  us  joyfully  to  meet  the  exclamation  of  the  Scripture 
witnesses,  ''The  Lord  is  risen!''  with  the  response,  "Truly, 
He  is  risen  atjain." 

III.  The  apostle  writes,  "  Some "  (namely,  of  the  above- 
mentioned  witnesses)  "  are  fallen  asleep.''  It  is  evident  that 
he  purposely  and  deliberately  employs  this  consolatory  expres- 
sion instead  of  the  harsher  one,  "  Thei/  are  dead;"  thereby 
designating  the  fruit  of  Christ's  resurrection  and  the  opera- 
tion of  faith  in  it.  Through  it  death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory.  To  characterise  death  as  sleep,  and  dying  as  falling 
asleep,  would  previously  have  been  strange  and  unusual  to 
the  Israelites,  and,  indeed,  to  the  world  at  large.  We  first 
meet  with  it  here,  in  the  mouth  of  our  Lord,  when  the  death 
of  Lazarus,  the  brother  of  Martha  and  Mary  of  Bethany,  had 
been  notified  to  Him  ;  He  then  informed  His  disciples  of  it 
in  the  words,  "  Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth."  But  they, 
His  most  intimate  friends,  did  not  then  understand  Him ; 
for  in  reply  they  uttered  a  trite  and  commonplace  truth, 
inapplicable  to  the  facts,  and  said,  "  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he 
shall  do  well."  At  the  announcement  that  Jairus's  daughter 
was  dead,  our  Lord  calmly  observed,  "  The  maid  is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth ; "  whereupon  the  messengers,  who  flat- 
tered themselves  upon  their  superior  information,  laughed 
Him  to  scorn.  After  the  resurrection,  however,  this  very 
consoling  mode  of  expression  became,  and  very  properly  so, 
more  current  in  Christian  circles.  ^lodern  philosophical 
criticism  has  not  ineftectively  assailed  the  arguments,  based 
upon  reason,  used  to  prove  the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  now, 
the  arguments  that  conclusively  establish  a  continuous  per- 
sonal existence  after  death,  especially  those  employed  in  our 
days,  in  favour  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  involve  no- 
thing more  than  is  comprised  in  that  one  argument  which 
is  based  upon  the  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection.     The  apostle 


180  THE  KISEN  SAVIOUR  SEEN  OF  MOKE  THAN 

likewise  is  of  the  same  opinion,  and  expresses  it  in  the  words, 
"  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  your  faith  vain,  and  the 
dead  rise  not."  But  that  one  argument  is  amply  sufficient 
to  convince  us  that  dying  is  only  a  falling  asleep  to  awake 
again  ;  an  awakening,  however,  that  will  only  prove  blissful 
to  him  who  through  faith  has  become  one  with  Christ. 
Here  the  argumxcnt  is,  "  Does  the  head  abandon  its  member, 
and  not  draw  it  after  itself?"  And  herein  is  the  apostolic 
declaration  fulfilled,  "  Christ,  the  risen  Saviour,  has  become 
i\\(i  first-fruits  of  them  that  sleep/'  "  Christ  the  first-fruits, 
aftei^wards  they  that  are  Christ's." 

We  are  all  hastening  onward  to  that  time  w^hen  it  will  be 
said  of  us  too,  "  This  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of 
thee !"  How  truly  are  we  to  be  pitied,  if  we  do  not  then 
have  Him  with  us,  whom  the  "  more  than  five  hundred " 
saw  face  to  face,  and  who  caused  all  their  nights,  not  except- 
ing even  the  last  one,  to  shine  as  bright  as  day.  Without 
Him,  in  the  shadows  of  the  dark  valley  we  shall  be  exposed 
to  questions  exciting  horror  and  despair,  like  flashes  of  forked 
lightning  :  ''  Whither  am  I  going,  now  that  the  poor  dream 
of  my  sliort  earthly  existence  has  come  to  an  end  ?  Shall  I 
live  ?  or  am  I  threatened  with  annihilation  ?  If  the  former, 
how  shall  I  stand  at  the  last  great  day  ?  How  shall  I  justify 
myself  for  a  life  spent  in  utter  alienation  from  God,  and 
frittered  away  on  the  merest  trifles?  And  how  can  I  vindi- 
cate the  humblest  claim  to  the  favour  of  the  righteous 
Judge,  holding  the  scales -of  justice,  and  to  the  bliss  of  those 
who  surround  His  throne  above?"  Questions  these  that 
will  make  a  man  shudder,  and  to  which  the  wisdom  of  this 
world,  even  from  the  height  of  its  pretended  sapience,  can 
only  reply  by  evasive  modes  of  expression,  or  by  profound 
impotent  silence !  But  as  soon  as  He  who  has  robbed  death 
of  its  power  appears  before  the  eye  of  our  faitli,  as  a  well- 


FIVE  HUNDRED  WITNESSES  AT  ONCE.  181 

known  friend,  those  dark  and  aojonising  problems  are  all 
solved  in  the  most  glorious  manner.  In  Him  we  see  the 
Surety,  who,  by  His  going  before,  has  given  us  absolutely  a 
guarantee  that  death  is  only  a  change,  and  that  to  die  is 
merely  to  fall  asleep.  In  Him  we  see  the  Lamb  who  bore 
and  expiated  our  sins ;  and  in  the  act  of  His  resuscitation 
from  the  dead  in  our  stead,  we  see  Him  divinely  acquitted 
and  justified  of  all  our  guilt.  In  Him  we  trust,  as  the  all- 
prevailing  Intercessor  and  Advocate,  who  in  His  own  righte- 
ousness, wrought  on  our  behalf,  appears  in  our  stead  before 
the  Father,  who  pronounces  the  final  sentence.  In  Him  we 
embrace  the  royal  Friend,  who  is  empowered  to  introduce 
His  beloved  ones,  as  His  own  peculiar  inheritance,  into  the 
paradise  of  heaven,  however  poor,  unworthy,  and  sinful  they 
may  be.  And  what  do  we  need  more  ?  Nothing  remains 
for  us  but  to  triumph  with  the  apostle,  "  0  death,  where  is 
thy  sting?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  victory?  Thanks  be  to 
God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

Let  us  render  thanks  unto  the  Lord  of  lords,  for  that  He 
has  settled  the  saving  truth,  which  we  should  receive  with 
our  whole  heart,  on  firm  foundations,  which  leave  no  sort  of 
exculpatory  pretext  to  those  who  still  do  not  believe.  For  a 
man  to  reject  the  gospel  against  himself,  is,  in  fact,  now  no- 
thing else  than  to  oppose  to  that  confirmation  of  it  which 
the  Eternal  has  a  hundred  times  given  to  it,  a  silly  or  demo- 
niacal denial.  Let  us,  moreover,  be  assured,  that  when  the 
final  injunction  shall  be  addressed  to  us,  ''Set  thy  house  in 
order''  we  shall  find  all  doors  bolted  and  barred  against  us, 
provided  He  remain  a  stranger  to  us  who  bears  the  keys, 
not  only  of  death  and  hell,  but  also  of  paradise  and  of  the 
throne  of  God.     May  He  then  become  to  us  also  "  the  Cap- 


182  THE  KISEN  SAVIOUR  n^'en;  B^ 

tain  of  our  salvation/'  av  '  i^^^ic  icau  uo,  on?  ^^  .  .*,^ren,' 
to  glory,  and  may  He  ^  ,Iously  hear  .  "hen  we  prayer- 
fully sing—  ;;  ^  ^^ 

"  0  risen  Lord  !  0  conquering  ^  .x^g ! 
0  Life  of  all  that  live  ! 
To-day  that  peace  of  Easter  bring, 
Which  only  Thou  canst  give  ! 
Once  death,  our  foe, 
Had  laid  Thee  low  ; 
Now  hast  Thou  rent  his  bonds  in  twain, 
For  Thovi  art  risen  who  once  wast  slain  ! 

**  Yes,  let  us  triily  know  within 
Thy  rising  from  the  dead, 
And  quit  the  grave  of  death  and  sin, 
And  keep  that  gift,  our  Head, 
That  Thou  didst  leave 
For  all  who  cleave 
To  Thee  through  all  this  earthly  strife  ; — 
So  shall  we  enter  into  life," 

/.  H.  Bohnier,  170Q.—Lym  Germanica. 


^  fiisi:^:  SAViouK  and  james.  183 


V- 


XIV. 

THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES. 

In  Psalm  cxviii.  the  royal  singer  praises  the  Lord  for  the 
benefits  conferred,  and  especially  for  victories  granted  him. 
But  it  cannot  escape  even  the  superficial  reader  that  the 
psalm  not  only  admits  of,  but  demands  an  interpretation 
which  extends  far  beyond  the  immediate  cause  of  its  com- 
position, and  which  stamps  it,  at  the  same  time,  as  a  pro- 
phetic lyric.  We  can  appeal  to  the  very  highest  authority 
to  justify  this  view  of  the  psalm,  since  Christ  himself  ex- 
pounds it  as  being  a  prophecy  of  Himself,  and  of  His  life 
on  earth.  In  Matt.  xxi.  42,  Christ  says  :  ''Did  ye  never  read 
in  the  Scriptures,  TJie  stone  luhich  the  builders  rejected,  the 
• '  -^le  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner:  this  is  the  Lord's 
f^ny^'  '-'ji^^^'Ss  marvellous  in  our  eyes  V  In  these  words 
i  »'i^  •  22d  and  23d  verses  of  our  psalm.  And 
wSS*  ' ""/  V^  ^v  J,  rejoicing,  and  scattering  palm  branches, 
accompanit  ^esus  to  Jerusalem,  with  the  acclamation  of 
the  2#th  verse  of  this  psalm,  "Blessed  is  He  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,'^  the  circumstance  clearly  i)roves 
that  its  Messianic  signification  was  undoubtedly  received  by 
the  Jews. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  to  what  extent,  and  how  clearly,  the 
holy  psalmist  himself  was  conscious  of  tliis  meaning  of  the 
inspired  effusion  of  his  heart.  But  assuredly  it  cannot  have 
escaped  him  that  the   Holy  Spirit's  influences  were  upon 


184  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUE  AND  JAMES. 

hiin  wlien  this  effusion  flowed  from  hi.  heart,  and  gave  his 
words  that  prophetic  form  which  he,  the  singer,  himself  had 
not  designed.  Eesurrection-music  pervades  the  psahn.  In 
David's  victories  are  celebrated,  in  types  of  much  smaller 
proportions,  the  glorious  triumph  over  the  world,  sin,  death, 
and  hell,  achieved  b}^  the  future  branch  of  the  house  of  David. 
In  those  forty  days  during  which  the  Saviour  still  re- 
mained on  earth,  and  revealed  Himself,  now  here,  now  there, 
to  His  own,  the  prophetic  details  of  the  psalm,  from  the  15th 
to  the  l7th  verse,  were  fulfilled.  "'The  voice  of  rejoicing 
and  salvation  was  then  heard  in  the  tabernacles  of  the 
riohteous"  to  this  effect :  "  The  rio;ht  hand  of  the  Lord  doeth 
valiantly."  .  ..."  I  shall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the 
works  of  t-!0  Lord."  We  have  listened  to  varied  utterances 
of  this  forty  days'  rejoicing  in  the  resurrection,  and  have 
heartily  united  in  it.  We  are  now  about  to  approach  the 
house  of  a  "  righteous "  man,  from  whom  the  resurrection 
elicited  but  a  monosyllable ;  but  his  feelings  were  deep,  and 
his  interest  in  it  intense. 

1  Corinthians  xv.  7. 
"  After  that  he  was  seeu  of  James." 

A  fresh  manifestation  of  our  risen  Saviour  is  thus  briefly 
noticed  without  illustrative  comment ;  but  it  is,  nevertheless, 
of  the  greatest  interest  and  importance  to  us.  And  it  is  so 
of  and  for  itself  alone ;  for  the  greater  the  amount  of  testi- 
mony the  better  !  It  is,  moreover,  interesting  with  reference 
to  the  person  to  whom  it  was  vouchsafed.  Let  us  first  be- 
come better  acquainted  with  him ;  and  then  let  us  consider 
more  closely  the  manifestation  which  was  granted  to  this 
highly-favoured  discijDle ;  and,  lastly,  let  us  contemplate  the 
fruit  which  it  bore.  May  the  Spirit  of  tlie  Lord  guide  us 
to-day  again  unto  all  truth,  and  crown  our  hearing  and  our 
teaching  with  His  lasting  blessing ! 


THE  FJSEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES.  185 

I.  The  })erson  who  is  now  about  to  engage  our  attention  is 
James,  siirnamed  "  the  less."  He  must  not  be  confounded 
with  James  the  elder,  brother  of  the  apostle  John,  and 
son  of  the  excellent  Zebedee,  the  fisherman  of  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  and  of  his  wife  Salome,  that  earnest,  noble- hearted, 
and  willingly  self-deuying  follower  of  our  Lord.  Thiis  latter 
— one  of  the  two  apostles  whom  our  Lord  once  called  the 
"  sons  of  thunder/'  not  as  a  term  of  shame  and  reproach, 
but  in  reference  to  their  fiery,  impetuous,  and  determined 
nature,  and  to  their  energetic,  aspiring  cliaracters — was, 
according  to  Matt.  iv.  21,  early  called  to  leave  his  nets  and 
follow  Jesus ;  and  he,  together  with  his  brother  John  and 
Simon  Peter,  were  by  Him  honoured  with  truly  extra- 
ordinary confidence.  Subsequently  set  apart  as  an  apostle, 
he,  as  it  appears  from  Matt,  x.,  was  in  constant  attendance 
on  our  Lord,  and  was  not  only  an  eye-witness  of  the  trans- 
figuration on  Mount  Tabor,  but  likewise  of  His  passion  in 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  And  to  our  Lord's  question, 
"Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink  of,  and 
to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with?" 
he,  together  with  his  brother  John,  immediately,  and  with 
manly  determination,  replied,  "  Yea,  Lord,  we  are  able." 
And,  for  his  part,  he  performed  all  he  engaged  to  do  ;  for 
he  was  the  first  of  all  the  apostles  who  sealed  his  confession 
with  his  blood.  Conspicuous  among  the  leaders  of  the 
young  Church,  and  acting  as  head  of  the  congregation  at 
Jerusalem,  he  drew  down  upon  himself  the  especial  hatred 
and  wrath  of  King  Herod  Agrippa.  When,  a.d.  44,  a 
bloody  persecution  broke  out  against  the  Christians,  James 
was  seized,  and,  as  we  are  informed  in  Acts  xii.,  was  sen- 
tenced to  death  by  the  sword.  He  walked  resolutely  to  the 
block,  considering  it  a  high  favour  and  honour  to  be  the 
first  of  the  apostles  to  finish  his  course  decorated  with  a 
martyr's  crown.     A   tradition  which  we   meet  with  in  the 


1 86  THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JASIES. 

second  century  relates  the  following :  When  the  accuser  of 
our  disciple  saw  him  approach  the  bloody  scaffold  with 
heroic  composure,  nay,  with  joy,  he  suddenly,  and  with 
deep  emotion,  broke  out  into  the  exclamation,  "  I  also 
believe  on  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  and  confess  Him  !  I 
also  am  a  Christian."  And  when  he  also,  in  consequence  of 
this  his  undaunted  confession,  had  been  likewise  sentenced 
to  death,  and  was  being  led  with  James  to  the  place  of 
execution,  he  earnestly  implored  the  apostle's  forgiveness, 
who  not  only  granted  it,  but  sealed  it  also  with  a  kiss  of 
brotherhood,  adding  cordially,  "Peace  be  with  thee,  my 
brother/' 

We  must  then  distinguish  this  James  tlie  son  of  Zebedee 
from  him  whom  the  apostle  refers  to  in  our  text.  This  latter, 
"  the  less,"  who  was  early  honoured  with  the  name  of  "  the 
just,"  was  the  son  of  Alph?eus,  and  has  been  called  the  brother 
of  Jesus.  We  are  told  in  John  viii.  5,  concerning  the  brothers, 
i.e.,  the  cousins  of  Jesus,  that  they  had  not  believed  on  Him. 
But  we  are  by  no  means,  however,  to  receive  this  as  a  proof 
of  decided  imhelief,  but  merely  as  shewing  a  deficiency  in 
enlightened  and  perfect  faith.  If  they  had  not  recognised, 
ill  their  great  relative,  at  least  a  prophet  endowed  by  God 
with  superhuman  power,  why  sliould  they  have  pressed  Him 
so  violently,  during  the  time  of  their  so-called  unbelief,  to  join 
Himself  to  that  procession  of  pilgrims  who  were  journeying  to 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  at  Jerusalem,  and  thus  at  length  to 
lift  the  veil  and  disclose  His  glory,  that  all  the  world  might 
see  His  works,  and  no  longer  withhold  the  homage  which  was 
His  due  ?  But  it  was  long  before  they  could  pay  Him  that 
honour  which  was  due  to  Him  as  the  Son  of  the  living  God, 
and  the  promised  Saviour  of  the  world  ;  and  this  was  their 
great  difficulty — they  had  seen  Him  growing  up  from  child- 
hood among  them,  in  every  respect  so  purely  human,  though 
entirely  free  from  sin.     Our  Lord's  declaration,  "A  prophet 


THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES.  187 

is  not  without  honour  save  in  his  own  country/'  appears 
enigmatical,  but  it  is  r.mply  verified  in  every-day  experience. 
Under  like  circumstances  we  should  probably  have  acted 
precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  did  these  members  of  the 
family  amongst  whom  Jesus  grew  up. 

We  first  make  the  personal  acquaintance  of  the  apostle 
James  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The  evangelists  merely 
mention  his  name.  Thus  much,  however,  we  do  know  of  him 
at  an  early  period,  that  he  was,  "  as  touching  the  law,  blame- 
less ;"  and  that  he  was  an  earnest,  pious  Jew,  who  had  even 
taken  upon  himself  the  vow  of  a  Nazarene,  which  was  strin- 
gently ascetic,  and  persistent  in  renunciation  of  the  world, 
whence  he  early  received  from  the  people  the  honoured  title  of 
the  "  Just."  But  precisely  this  his  Old  Testament  legal  piety 
would  render  it  especially  difficult  for  him  to  recognise  in 
Jesus,  who,  instead  of  preaching  up  the  commandments,  spoke 
but  of  pardon  and  liberty,  the  expected  Messiah,  since  He 
so  little  resembled  the  lawgiver  of  Sinai,  and  instead  of  the 
law,  preached  only  grace  and  freedom.  But  it  must  have 
been  considered  as  likely  to  promote  the  kingdom  of  God 
greatly  if  this  serious,  earnest  man,  whose  character  was  so 
stable,  and  whose  whole  soul  seemed  devoted  to  God,  should 
be  won  over  to  the  banner  of  the  cross.  This  desired 
revolution  doubtless  was  being  brought  about  in  the  "dis- 
ciple whilst  Jesus  lived  upon  earth.  Probably,  however, 
he  did  not  decide  for  the  Lord  until  after  His  resurrection, 
and  not  until  the  moment  which  Paul  has  chronicled  in  the 
words  of  our  text. 

II.  The  risen  Saviour  appeared  also  to  him.  How,  when, 
and  where,  we  are  not  told.  Doubtless  it  happened  in  Gali- 
lee, and  at  a  moment  when  the  disciple  was  alone.  It  must 
have  been  a  great  and  important  moment  when  James  saw 
Him  who  had  been  slain  upon  the  cross  suddenly  standing 
alive  before  him.  in  the  splendour  of  His  superhuman  glory. 


188  THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES. 

The  first  impression  whicli  this  unexpected  appearance  made 
upon  him  was  probably  one  rather  of  tumultuous  astonish- 
ment and  confusion  than  of  pure  joy ;  but  when  he  heard 
our  Lord's  voice  addressed  to  him,  his  eyes  were  quickly 
opened.  The  straitened  coat  of  mail,  made  of  legal  meshes 
interwoven,  which  had  all  too  tightly  compressed  his  heart, 
began  to  loosen,  and  heart  and  tongue,  liberated,  were  free 
to  confess,  "Yes,  Thou  art  He  for  whom  my  restless  soul 
has,  thouoh  unwittinoly  ah,  how  lono- '  been  piiiino;/'  James 
was  not  a  man  of  easily  excitable  temperament,  but  first 
deliberated,  with  intelligent  and  sustained  thought,  what 
principles  he  should  adopt.  But  then,  however,  they  took 
root  all  the  more  firmly  and  deeply  in  his  soul,  and  anything 
which  should  afterwards  have  to  displace  them  must  indeed 
be  strong  and  mighty.  It  would  seem  that  in  James  a  long- 
time was  needed  before  the  Jew  yielded  to  the  Christian — to 
the  child  of  the  new  covenant.  Nevertheless,  the  leaven  of 
the  gospel  at  length  permeated  his  austere  nature  to  its  very 
depths.  This  peculiarity  of  disposition,  liowever,  was  not 
incompatible  with  the  fact  of  his  carriage  and  bearing  being 
essentially  that  of  an  Israelite,  stamped  with  a  nobility  and 
a  tone  which  advantageously  distinguished  him  from  the 
other  apostles.  His  reverential  awe  in  contemplation  of  the 
infinite  holiness  of  God  and  His  commands,  together  with 
his  childlike  confidence  in  our  Lord,  were  in  him  most 
marked,  and  formed  the  peculiar  fundamental  features  of 
his  spiritual  character.  He  was,  therefore,  the  very  man  to 
form,  as  it  were,  a  bridge  for  his  brethren  according  to  the 
fiesli  to  pass  over  from  Judaism  to  Christianity,  especially 
since  he  saw  in  the  latter  the  ripe  heavenly  fruit  in  which 
the  promising  bloom  of  the  former  had  resulted.  In  the 
same  manner,  no  other  at  a  later  period  would  have  been 
more  competent  than  he  to  prevent  the  already  threatening 
rupture  between  the  Jewish  and  the  Gentile  Cliristians,  and 


THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES.  189 

to  maintain  peace  in  the  Cliurch  of  Christ  between  those  two 
contending  parties.  And  it  is  evident  that  he  was  specially 
selected  by  our  Lord  for  this  purpose  ;  and  it  is  no  marvel 
that  we  see  him  occupy  the  place  of  his  namesake  who  had 
been  beheaded,  and  become  a  most  distinguished  leader,  nay, 
the  bulwark,  or,  as  Paul  calls  him,  the  ''pillar"  of  the  Chris- 
tian churches  of  Jewish  proselytes  in  Palestine.  Simon 
Peter  foresaw  this  future  conspicuous  position  of  the  son  of 
Alphgeus,  as  recorded  in  Acts  xii.,  where  we  find  him  prisoner 
together  with  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee  ;  for  when,  after 
James's  execution,  Peter  was  miraculously  delivered  from  his 
danger  by  an  angel,  he  then  charged  his  fellow-disciples,  say- 
ing, "Go  shew  these  things  unto  James,"  (viz.,  to  James  the 
Less)  "and  to  the  brethren."  In  Acts  xv.,  where,  at  the 
solemn  apostolic  council,  they  are  endeavouring  to  settle  the 
contention  which  has  already  broken  out  between  the  Jewish, 
and  Gentile  Christians,  and  to  adjust  tjie  dissension  between 
the  former,  who  were  so  bound  by  their  legal  conformity, 
and  the  latter,  who  insisted  upon  their  evangelical  liberty  in 
matters  of  faith,  James  appears  with  Peter  as  the  leader  of 
the  assembly,  and  he  it  is  who,  as  principal  speaker,  settles 
the  dispute  by  moving  that  neither  circumcision  nor  the  ob- 
servation of  any  of  the  Levitical  statutes  should  be  enjoined 
upon  the  believers  from  among  the  Gentiles,  but  that  their 
only  burden  should  be  the  observance  of  the  so-called  laws 
of  Noah, — that  they  should  "  abstain  from  meats  offered  to 
idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from  things  strangled,  and  from 
fornication,"  (Acts  xv.  20.)  This  advice  and  proposition, 
which  were  joyfully  received  by  the  Gentile  Christian 
churches,  were  now  also  thoroughly  approved  by  the  Jewish 
Christians,  and  were,  moreover,  not  founded  on  doo-matic 
views  and  principles,  and  had  but  a  moral  signification, 
aiming  merely  at  the  restoration  of  peace  between  the  con- 
tending   parties.     We  everywhere   find    James   viewing  all 


190  THE  ETSEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAMES. 

matters  of  faith  from  tlie  same  standpoint  as  the  apostle 
Paul;  and  if,  now  and  then,  Jewish  Christians,  asserting 
that  belief  in  Christ  did  not  release  them  from  circumcision 
and  the  observance  of  the  Levitical  laws,  appealed  to  James, 
they  did  so  seriously  misunderstanding  James's  character, 
which  certainly  w^as  peculiarly  Jewish,  and  likewise  the 
special  call  which  this  apostle  had  received  to  aim  at  the 
conversion  of  Israel.  James,  therefore,  in  order  to  prevent 
this  misinterpretation,  protests  in  the  strongest  terms  against 
it,  and  calls  those  teachers  who  had  persuaded  the  churches 
that  the  apostles  still  urged  the  necessity  of  circumcision  and 
the  observance  of  the  Levitical  law,  "men  who  subverted 
souls,"  (Acts  XV.  24.) 

It  has  been  observed  that  there  is  scarce  an  indication  to 
be  found  throughout  the  wdiole  narrative  of  the  apostle 
James's  career,  or  in  his  discourses,  of  his  ever  having  been 
honoured  by  our  Lord  with  a  personal  manifestation  of  Him- 
self. But  if  he  had  not  really  seen  the  risen  Saviour  in  the 
flesh,  how  came  it  to  pass  that  he  who  was  once  so  true  a 
disciple  of  Moses,  cast,  as  it  were,  in  the  mould  of  legality, 
should  have  advanced  such  lengths  in  New  Testament  free- 
dom ?  and  how  came  we  to  see  him  invested  with  the  greatest 
authority,  and  even  considered  as  a  pillar  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  by  the  college  of  the  apostles  ?  It  is  true  that  he 
never  expressly  mentions  the  appearance  which  had  been 
vouchsafed  to  him,  neither  does  he  specially  allude  to  our 
Lord's  resurrection.  Speaking  of  himself,  in  his  epistle 
addressed  to  the  Jewish  proselytes,  he  styles  himself,  "a 
servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  characterises  the 
Christian  faith  as  "the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of 
glory ; "  he  speaks  of  "  the  return  of  the  Lord  to  judge  the 
world,"  and  likewise  of  "  the  croivn  oj  life  ivhich  the  Lord 
Jiath  i^T^omised  to  them  that  love  him"  May  we  not,  in 
these  few  expressions,  still  see  the  full  reflection  of  the  gio- 


THE  RISEN  SAVIOUR  AND  JAJMES.  191 

rious  rays  which  beamed  on  him  at  that  ever-memorablo 
moment  when  he  heard,  who  shall  say  with  what  ecstasy,  the 
words,  "  Peace  be  with  you  !"  addressed  to  him  by  the  Victor 
over  the  world,  death,  and  hell  ?  The  scope  and  design  of 
Ills  epistle  gave  him  no  opportmiity  of  referring  to  Christ's 
resurrection  and  His  mediatorial  work.  The  dispersed 
Jewish  Christians,  to  whom  the  epistle  is  more  immediately 
addressed,  did  not  so  much  need  dogmatic  as  practical  moral 
instruction  and  advice.  They  were  in  danger  of  disassociat- 
ing f\iith  from  the  life,  whereas  the  indispensable  sign  of 
true  and  saving  faith  is,  that  it  should  penetrate  the  luhole 
life,  renewing,  sanctifying,  and  glorifying  it.  Where  it  does 
not  effect  this,  it  is  a  shadow  of  faith,  and  not  the  thing 
itself.  This  is  what  the  apostle  emphatically  represents  to 
the  churches,  as  in  the  passage  (James  ii.  24)  where  he 
writes,  "  Ye  see  then  how  that  by  luorks  a  man  is  justified, 
and  not  by  faith  only  '/'  and  so  it  happens  that  occasionally 
he  seems  on  the  verge  of  contradicting  the  doctrine  of  justi- 
fication, as  it  is  set  forth  in  the  other  parts  of  Scripture, 
and  especially  in  St  Paul's  writings.  But  from  more  than 
one  passage  in  his  epistle,  we  sufnciently  perceive  how  far 
James  was  from  wishing  to  deny  this  doctrine,  or  even  to 
weaken  or  invalidate  it.  It  is  most  apparent,  e.g.,  that  in 
chap.  ii.  23,  he  most  decidedly  testifies  that  the  faith  of 
Abraham  was  imputed  to  him  for  righteousness,  and  because 
of  his  faith  alone  was  he  called  "the  friend  of  God."  And 
just  as  unmistakably  is  he  speaking  in  the  24th  verse 
only  in  vindication  of  faith,  i.e.,  of  the  justification  of  the 
man  declared  righteous  by  God ;  not  only  befo?'e  God,  but 
before  men,  and  in  the  facts  of  Ids  personal  history ;  and 
^/iw  justification  is  undoubtedly  only  attained  by  luorks,  i.e., 
by  a  holy  life  and  a  blameless  course. 

In  what  degree  James  had  really  experienced  the  power 
of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  his  end  shews ;  of  which  we 


192  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUE  AND  JAMES. 

nre  indeed  not  informed  by  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  by  the 
Jewish  historian,  Josephus,  who  was  a  contemporary  of  our 
apostle,  and  by  Hegesippus,  who  died  in  the  year  180  A.D. 
According  to  this  latter,  James,  who  is  here  also  called  "the 
Just,"  after  he  had,  in  a  most  self-denying  manner,  devoted 
liis  whole  life  to  the  difficult  work  of  the  conversion  of  his 
countrymen,  was  seized  by  the  High  Priest,  Ananias  ;  and 
then,  at  the  urgent  demand  of  the  enemies  of  Christ  who 
were  assembled  at  the  passover,  he  was  set  on  the  pinnacle 
of  the  temple,  and  there  challenged  to  declare  explicitly,  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  multitude  assembled  below,  his  belief 
concerning  the  person  and  works  of  Jesus.  The  apostle, 
without  hesitating  for  one  moment  as  to  what  was  the  right 
thing  to  do,  cried  with  a  powerful  voice  to  the  surging  mob 
below,  and  quite  within  their  hearing,  "I  am  asked  about 
the  Son  of  man.  He  is  now  sitting  in  heaven,  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  whence  He  will  come  again  in 
tlie  clouds!"  Hardly  had  this  bold  and  faithful  testimony 
been  uttered,  however,  when  the  multitude  below  burst  forth 
in  loud  homage,  crying,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!" 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  exclaimed, 
"  You  see  that  even  '  the  Just '  is  entangled  in  the  blas- 
phemous delusion ;"  and  hastening  with  their  assistants 
up  to  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  they  hurled  the  faithful 
witness  down  from  the  dizzy  height  above  upon  the  pave- 
ment below.  Here  they  stoned  him  ;  and  his  death-blow 
was  given  with  a  club.  The  more  thoughtful  saw  in  this 
murder  the  culminating  guilt  of  the  Jews,  and  augured  evil 
consequences.  In  fact,  the  accumulated  iniquities  of  this 
stiff-necked,  obstinate  race  were  full  to  overflowing.  The 
last  attempt  of  saving  love,  in  the  faithful  efforts  of  one  of 
the  ttoblest  sons  of  Israel,  was  thus  wickedly  repulsed  by 
this  people,  and  rendered  fruitless  by  their  ol)Stinacy.  The 
scourge  of  Divine  justice  was  now  exercised  upon  them. 


THE  RISEN  SAVIOUK  AND  JAMES.  193 

Judgments  were  launched  against  them.  But  a  few  years 
later,  Jerusalem  was  a  heap  of  stones  and  ashes,  and  the 
degenerate  seed  of  Jacob  was  scattered  like  chaff  by  the  four 
winds  of  heaven. 

Sucli  a  one  then  was  our  James — a  Cliristian  to  the 
inmost  soul,  only  with  a  preponderating  ethical  basis, — a 
preacher  of  the  old  inmiutable  law,  written,  however,  in  the 
heart  by  the  spirit  of  love,  and  thus  constituted  the  laiv  of 
liberty.  He  stood  in  somewhat  the  same  relation  to  Paul  as 
Melancthon  did  to  Luther  ;  to  the  apostle  John  as  did  Cal- 
vin, wlio  organised  and  arranged  the  scheme  of  Christian 
Institutes,  to  Luther,  the  man  of  fervid  soul ;  for  Calvin's 
character,  like  that  of  James,  was  stamped  with  the  gravity 
and  severity  of  the  old  covenant.  "  Manifold,  and  yet  one," 
is  the  device  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

"  Be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving 
your  own  selves/'  This  is  the  theme  and  the  pervading 
fundamental  thought  which  runs  through  the  apostle  James's 
ministry,  which  therefore  takes  a  supplementary  part  in  the 
clionis  of  the  apostolic  voices.  Whilst  other  apostolic  epistles 
have  especially  aimed  at  shewing  how,  out  of  the  natural  tree, 
the  dead  and  degenerate  one  to  which  we  originally  belong, 
a  good  one,  well  pleasing  to  God,  may  grow,  James  brings 
its  fruits  to  view,  wliich  will  tend  to  justify  the  good  tree 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  But  James  knows  no  other  root 
of  the  good  tree  but  living,  earnest  faith  in  "Christ,  who 
was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and  raised  again  for  our 
justification."  Thus  the  unity  and  the  perfect  harmony  of 
the  apostolic  writings  are  placed  beyond  all  doubt,  and 
characterise  all  Scripture. 

"  Thy  word,  0  Lord,  like  gentle  dews, 

Falls  soft  on  hearts  that  pine ; 

Lord,  to  Thy  garden  ne'er  refuse 

This  heavenly  balm  of  Thine. 

N 


194}  THE  EISEN  SAVIOUE  AND  JAMES. 

"Water'd  from  Thee, 

Let  every  tree 
Bud  forth  and  blossom  to  Thy  praise, 
And  bear  much  fruit  in  after  days. 

**  Thy  word  is  like  a  flaming  sword, 
A  wedge  that  cleaveth  stone ; 
Keen  as  a  fire,  so  burns  Thy  word, 
And  pierceth  flesh  and  bone. 
Oh  !  send  it  forth. 
O'er  all  the  earth, 
To  shatter  all  the  might  of  sin, 
The  darken'd  heart  to  cleanse  and  win ! 

"  Thy  word,  a  wondrous  guiding  star, 
On  pilgrim  hearts  doth  rise ; 
Leads  to  their  Lord  who  dwell  afar. 
And  makes  the  simple  wise. 
Let  not  its  light 
E'er  sink  in  night, 
But  still  in  every  spirit  shine. 
That  none  may  miss  Thy  light  divine." 

Lyra  Qemumica. 


THE  APPEARANCE  OJs  THE  MOUi^TAIN.  195 


THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

We  read  in  the  history  of  our  country  of  commanders  of 
fortresses  who,  after  being  challenged  by  the  besiegers  to 
surrender,  because  their  king  had  been  totally  defeated,  and 
had  lost  his  kingdom,  have  remained  courage ousty  on  their 
bastions,  and  re])lied  to  the  enemy,  "For  tlie  time  being  we 
are  kings  in  this  fortress  :  take  the  town,  if  you  can."  But 
it  was  long  before  they  could  take  it.  Let  us  behave  like 
those  generals,  for  in  our  day  there  are  those  who  urgently 
press  on  us  to  surrender  the  strong  fortress  of  biblical  Chris- 
tianity, since  it  has  been  undermined  and  untenable  by  the 
great  advance  of  science.  Let  us  not  be  terrified  by  them, 
but  answer  them  with  all  calmness,  "  There  is  no  danger  yet  I" 
Whoever  shall  assail  the  rock  on  v/hich  we  stand,  as  any  one 
may  read  in  Matt.  xxi.  44,  '"  shall  by  it  be  ground  to  powder." 
,  Yea,  what  shall  I  say  ?  You,  for  instance,  who  would  rob 
us  of  our  belief  in  the  divinity  of  Christ,  have  in  your  own 
hearts,  were  you  but  to  look  to  it,  the  strongest  evidences  of 
the  truth  against  which  you  strive.  You  deny  Christ's  super- 
human j)Ower  and  sovereign  authority,  and  lo,  it  makes  itself 
felt  at  every  moment  in  your  own  soul !  Christ  rules  in  your 
moral  consciousness,  which  has  become  very  different  from 
that  which  you  natura'ly  inherited,  and  which,  stamped  with 
His  image,  remains  indelibly  impressed  with  it.  He  reigns 
in  your  conscience,  rendered   keen   in  its  perceptions  and 


1 96  THE  APPEAEANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

purified;  and  it  often  accuses  you  of  things  whicli  your 
reason  would  endeavour  to  persuade  you  are  innocent ;  and, 
though  you  may  intensely  desire  to  do  so,  you  cannot  succeed 
in  silencing  the  judge  that  is  within  you.  Christ  rules  over 
you,  in  that  He  binds  you  so  closely  to  Christian  morals  that 
you  cannot  violate  them  without  drawing  down  upon  your- 
self the  condemnation  of  your  own  heart,  as  well  as  that  of 
public  opinion.  Yes,  He  exerts  a  sovereign  influence  over 
all  your  views  of  life,  your  aims,  and  your  contemplations  of 
death,  eternity,  and  judgment.  You  find  yourself  unable  to 
get  fully  rid  of  those  ideas  which  have  taken  hold  of  you, 
and  which  are  now  indelibly  impressed  upon  you.  In  the 
quiet  hours  of  meditation  they  inevitably  rise  again  in  your 
consciousness,  and  they  assuredly  will  do  so  when  the  last 
enemy  knocks  at  your  door.  With  heavy  cares  and  anxieties 
in  their  train,  they  break  through  everything  behind  which 
you  thought  to  have  intrenched  yourself,  and  mock  at  the 
free-thinking  sophisms  on  which  you  had  placed  so  much 
dependence. 

It  has  often  been  seriously  determined  to  root  out  and  to 
do  away  with  Christ,  and  all  that  He  has  established  in  the 
world, — the  Church,  Sunday,  marriage,  the  domestic  consti- 
tution, the  "  powers  that  be "  as  a  divine  institution,  and 
many  things  beside.  Vain  endeavour  !  Within  a  short  time 
did  He,  although  a  war  of  extermination  had  been  declared 
against  Him,  raise  up  everything  from  its  ruins,  and  the  re- 
bellious knaves  were  put  in  the  pillory  of  public  contempt. 
It  has  been  attempted  to  undermine  Christian  morals,  to 
emancipate  and  enthrone  the  flesh,  to  pronounce  sin  pure, 
which  Christ's  law  condemns,  and  to  render  virtues  ridicu- 
lous, which  He,  with  divine  authority,  commends  and  insists 
upon.  But  what  has  become  of  those  who  presumed  to  form 
such  designs  as  these  ?  They  have  come  to  shame  with  their 
abominable  literature,  and  nothing  remains  for  them  but  to 


THE  APPEAllANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.  1  97 

gnash  their  teeth  in  those  dark  phices  to  -which  tliey  have 
been  driven  back,  and  to  exchiim,  with  the  apostate  emperor, 
"  Thou  hast  conquered,  0  Galilean  !  "  It  lias  been  pkinned 
to  supersede  the  gospel  by  "Humanism/'  i.e.,  the  ideas  of 
liuman  reason.  In  His  righteous  anger  the  Lord  allowed 
tliis  attempt  to  be  carried  on  for  a  long  time.  Then  pride, 
selfishness,  irreligion,  and  disobedience,  these  weeds  grew  up 
so  rankly,  that  the  exclamation  has  now  for  a  longtime  been 
spreading,  and  is  heard  both  in  the  Church,  in  the  seats  of 
learning,  and  in  private  houses,  "  Oh  that  Christ  would  but 
rule  the  world  again  !  For  who  but  He  breaks  down  selfish- 
ness ?  Who  instils  piety  and  love,  who  plants  the  germs  of 
all  that  is  noble,  good,  and  beautiful,  but  He  alone  ?  " 

What  great  cause  have  we  then  to  stand  our  ground,  look- 
ing in  faith  to  Christ,  and  to  allow  nothing  in  the  world  to 
perplex  us  concerning  the  gospel  as  the  "power  of  God." 
The  Easter  scene,  which,  in  the  course  of  our  meditations, 
we  are  about  to  approach,  will  yield  us  a  fresh  harvest 
of  powerful  calls  and  encouragements  to  do  so.  The  Lord 
grant  that  they  may  be  welcomed  and  entertained  by  us  1 

Matt,  xxviii.  16-20. 

"  Then  the  eleven  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain 
where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  when  they  saw  him,  they  wor- 
shipped him  :  but  some  doubted.  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them, 
saying.  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  there- 
fore, and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  ;  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alvvay,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

The  forty  days  are  well-nigh  spent,  that  deliglitful  period 
in  which  possibly  a  faint  type  and  reflected  image  is  brought 
before  us  of  that  intercourse  which  the  Lord  purposes  to 
vouchsafe  to  His  people  on  earth  during  the  thousand  years 
in  which  Satan  will  be  bound,  when  He  will  manifest  Himself 


198  THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

to  them  personally,  appearing  now  here,  now  there,  occasion- 
ally meeting  them  with  his  salutation  of  "  Peace  ! "  It  is  our 
Lord's  last  manifestation  hut  one  before  His  ascension  which 
will  now  engage  our  attention,  and  incontestably  likewise 
the  most  important  and  sublime  of  all,  rendered  so  by  the 
didactic  and  preceptive  address  which  He  then  delivered.  I 
do  not  doubt  but  that  you  will  follow  me  with  joy  to  the 
scene,  especially  in  these  dark,  tumultuous,  and  eventful  days, 
when  in  the  uproar  of  the  wildest  party  struggles,  and  in 
the  revolutions  of  one  nation  after  another,  the  world  is 
almost  beginning  to  faint  for  fear  of  the  things  which  shall 
come  to  pass,  and  even  to  believers  the  question  occurs  most 
oppressively,  for  it  is  not  concealed  from  them  that  "  Satan  is 
very  wroth,''  and  is  preparing  for  the  last  decisive  struggle  for 
dominion  over  the  world.  Who  shall  be  master  of  the  future  ? 
Shall  Satan,  the  prince  of  dar!:ness,  or  Christ,  the  Lord  of 
glory  ?  In  the  Gospel  before  us  we  receive  the  decisive  and 
conclusive  answer  to  this  question,  involving  so  much  solicitude. 
Here  He  stands  before  us,  to  whom  undoubtedly,  after  all  the 
tumult  and  confusion,  the  crown  will  devolve,  as  His  ever- 
lasting inheritance ;  and  by  whom  would  you  rather  that  it 
should  be  worn  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  than  by  Him  ?  May 
the  announcement  descending  from  heaven  soon  resound 
through  the  earth,  ''•  I  have  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill ! " 

Our  Gospel  renders  us  a  threefold  valuable  service.  In 
the  first  place,  it  sets  the  j^e'i^son  of  Jesus  clearly  forth  be/ore 
us ;  secondly,  it  discloses  to  us  the  luorld's  future ;  and, 
lastly,  it  enlightens  our  present  darkness.  Let  us  convince 
ourselves  more  thoroughly  of  these  things,  and  may  the 
Lord  grant  us  a  rich  draught  of  refreshment  and  encourage- 
ment from  the  well  of  consolation  which  here  springs  up 
again  for  us  irrepressibly  and  inexhaustibly  ! 

I.  The  scene  of  the  transaction  under  our  consideration 
was   a   solitary   mountain-top   in  Galilee ;   and  our  Lord's 


THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.  1  99 

manifestation  there  must  neither  be  confounded  with  that 
wliich  took  place,  immediately  before  His  ascension,  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  nor  with  that  we  have  already  considered, 
which  was  vouchsafed  to  more  than  five  hundred  brethren 
at  once  in  Galilee.  It  occurred  after  the  latter,  and  before 
the  former,  and  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  the  apostle  had  this 
one  in  view  in  the  passage  contained  in  1  Cor.  xv.  7,  "After 
that,  he  was  seen  of  all  the  apostles."  Our  Lord  had  ex- 
pressly directed  His  apostles  to  meet  Him  at  this  particular 
place,  and  we  may  well  imagine  with  what  high  expectations 
they  were  assembled  there ;  and  lo  !  suddenly,  our  Lord 
stood  again  before  them,  radiant  with  all  His  triumphal 
glory,  seeing  which  they  immediately  fall  down  and  worship 
Him.  But  how  runs  the  narrative?  ''Some,"  we  read, 
"  doubted."  This  seems  strange  ;  it  is,  however,  but  another 
proof  of  the  truth  of  the  evangelical  report.  No  mythical 
fancy  would  ever  have  suggested  the  recurrence  of  uncer- 
tainty and  doubt  to  the  apostles,  when  they  had  already 
seen  the  risen  Saviour  so  many  times,  neither  would  it  have 
marred  the  picture  by  the  contradiction  of  simultaneous 
worship  and  doubt.  But  the  evangelist  tells  us  plainly  and 
simply,  like  a  chronicler  from  his  personal  observation,  what 
had  occurred,  and  is  hence  quite  unconcerned  as  to  whether 
his  narrative  appear  contradictory  or  not.  But  is  there  not 
really  a  contradiction  here  ?,  Undoubtedly ;  but  such  a 
one  as  frequently  meets  us  in  real  life,  and  as  often  trans- 
pires in  our  own  souls,  as,  for  instance,  when  we  feel  con- 
strained to  exclaim  with  the  afflicted  father  of  the  tormented 
child,  ''Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief;"  or  even 
to  join  in  the  words  of  Job,  "  If  I  had  called,  and  he  had 
answered  me  ;  yet  would  I  not  believe  that  he  had  hearkened 
unto  my  voice."  There  appears  to  be  no  reason  why  the 
passage  should  not  be  understood  in  this  sense,  that  those  of 
the  eleven  who  doubted,  did  so  because  they  hesitated  as  to 


200       THE  APPEAEANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

whether  they  really  saw  a  glorified  form  presented  to  their 
eyes,  or  whether  they  themselves  were  but  dreaming.  But 
the  question  might  for  a  moment  flash  through  their  minds, 
whether  He  really  were  their  Lord  and  Master,  since  the 
mode  of  His  manifestation  to  them  was  with  the  rapidity  of 
lightning,  and  whether  He  were  not  possibly  a  phantom, 
an  angehc  being  from  the  invisible  world ;  and  so  much  the 
more  readily  might  they  do  so  since  we  have  reason  to 
know  that  the  manifestation  of  the  Prince  of  life  was  more 
perfectly  divested  of  all  that  is  earthly,  in  proportion  as  the 
time  drew  nearer  for  Him  to  return  ;  His  form  became  more 
spirituaHsed,  and  of  greater  splendour.  But  our  Lord 
hastens  to  free  those  from  their  foolish  ideas  who  were 
alarmingly  surprised  at  the  spirit-like  mode  in  v/hich  He 
presented  Himself  before  them.  With  His  wonted  con- 
descension. He  commands  those  who  were  prostrate  in  the 
dust  to  rise,  and  He  speaks  to  them  in  order  to  raise  the 
veil  which  had  hitherto  concealed  from  them  His  person 
and  His  superhuman  dignity  and  majesty.  Before  He 
departed  from  them,  they  were  to  have  their  last  doubt 
removed  in  reference  to  Him  in  whom  they  had  trusted 
and  now  placed  their  confidence.  On  this  head,  my  brethren, 
we  likewise  must  be  perfectly  clear.  All  our  peace  depends 
upon  it.  Christianity  is  not  mere  doctrine,  but  the  prac- 
tical realisation  of  the  work  of  redemption.  It  is  the 
history  of  the  divine  scheme  of  man's  salvation,  and  as  such, 
wholly  depends  on  the  person  of  the  Saviour.  Its  truth 
hinges  upon  His  having  been  the  right  and  qualified  man, 
born  to  achieve  the  great  work,  which  He,  as  such,  fully 
accomplished.  Well  do  I  know  the  strange  point  of  view 
taken  by  numbers  of  our  contemporaries,  who  would  not 
soil  their  lips  with  the  assertion  that  Christ  was  nothing 
more  than  a  mere  man ;  who  nevertheless  endeavour,  with 
extraordinary  shyness,  to  evade  the  question  that  continually 


THE  APPEAEANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.       201 

presses  upon  them,  AVho  then  was  He  ?  It  is  as  if  they  had 
not  the  courage  to  look  strai,<;lit  at  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence of  their  protests  a,i!;ainst  an  unbelief  which,  with 
reference  to  the  person  of  Christ,  refuses  to  recognise  Him 
as  being  more  than  man,  or  to  allow  their  vacillating  and 
irresolute  conception  of  the  person  of  Christ  to  be  moulded 
and  consummated  in  the  acknowledgment,  that  if  He  be  of 
a  higher  order  than  mortal  man  descended  of  Adam,  and 
not  an  angel,  but  the  Lord  and  ruler  of  angels,  then  He 
can  have  been  no  other  than  God  himself,  the  only-begotten 
and  essential  Son  of  the  everlasting  Father.  But  they 
shrink  back  from  this  representation  as  though  it  involved 
the  suggestion  of  some  most  audacious  proposition.  They 
get  a  distant  peep  into  the  Christian  paradise,  where  they 
see  the  tree  of  life  in  all  its  splendour,  but  never  enjoy  its 
fruits.  They  think  that  whatever  is  contradictory  to  reason 
may  never  be  appropriated.  But  what  is  there  contra- 
dictory to  reason  in  this  great  mystery,  which  indeed  sur- 
passes the  range  of  human  comprehension,  that  the  all- 
sufficient  and  inscrutable  God  should,  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  without  prejudice  to  His  own  fulness,  have 
shared  His  Divine  glory  with  another  "I  myself,"  begotten 
of  Himself,  who  became  Himself  objectively  ?  what  is  there 
incoticeivable  in  the  "mystery  of  godliness,"  that  that  Son 
of  God,  existing  prior  to  creation,  should  become  man  in  the 
person  of  Christ,  since  this  miraculous  way  appears  to  be 
the  only  one  by  which  the  salvation  of  the  human  race  from 
eternal  ruin  was  possible  ? 

But  let  us  listen  to  Him  who  came  down  Himself  from 
licaven  to  us.  He  will  not  pass  through  our  midst  as  a  Being 
of  a  questionable  nature,  but  wills  that  we  should  see  Him  in 
definite  and  distinct  outline  and  form.  He  who  views  His 
person  with  but  indistinct  impressions,  will  likewise  have  but 
fiuctuatins  ideas  as  to  his  soul's  welfare  and  bliss  without 


202  THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOU^TAIN. 

really  attaining  them.  He  who  throngli  indecision  and  in- 
distinctness of  apprehension  has  but  confidence  to  exclaim, 
"  0  Tliou  glorious  Being !  0  Thou  superhuman  Being !  0 
Thou  ineffable  Being  ! "  and  does  not  boldly  come  to  the 
decision  of  Thomas,  when  he  cried,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  " 
will  likewise  never  inherit  the  blessing  of  Thomas.  But  hear 
how  He  himself  prepares  the  way  for  this  heroic  faith  :  "  All 
jjoiuer,"  says  He,  ''is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.'' 
What  do  you  say  to  this  declaration  ?  Does  it  involve  less 
than  the  proclamation  issued  just  before  the  enthronement  of 
the  King  of  kings  and  the  sovereign  mandate,  tliat  before  His 
]\Icijesty  "  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaveji  and 
of  tbino-s  on  earth  ?  "  Were  it  but  less  decided,  and  to  the 
effect,  "Poiuer  is  given  unto  me,"  or  even  "All  power  on 
earth,"  His  declaration  would  have  admitted  of  a  weakened 
interpretation,  and  could  have  restricted  its  import  with  re- 
ference to  the  spiritual  influence  which  Christ  would  exercise 
by  His  teaching.  Now,  however,  there  is  no  opportunity 
given  for  a  subtilised  and  meagre  construction.  This  pas- 
sage stands  like  a  rock,  against  which  all  assaults  upon  the 
divinity  of  Christ  must  founder.  Like  a  hurricane,  it  pros- 
trates all  the  Babel  towers  of  doubts  and  contradictions. 
Unbelief  might  indeed  desire  to  intrench  itself  behind  the 
question,  whether  this  important  testimony  really  proceeded 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus.  But  is  it  only  to  be  found  there, 
alone  and  isolated?  Has  not  our  Lord  virtually  said  the 
same  thing  in  many  other  places  ?  Did  He  not  say,  in  Matt, 
xi.  27,  "  AH  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father  ? " 
Does  He  not,  in  His  prayer  as  High  Priest,  testify  that  the 
Father  had  given  Him  power  ove?^  all  flesh?  (John  xvii.  2.) 
And  does  He  express  anything  less  than  this,  when  He  claims 
the  same  honour  for  Himself  that  is  due  to  the  Father,  which 
He  has  done  repeatedly,  and  enumerates  the  final  resurrec- 
tion, the  holding  of  the  last  judgment,  the  award  fixing  the 


THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.       203 

eternal  destiny  of  mortals,  and  the  creation  of  the  new 
heavens  and  the  new  earth,  as  included  amongst  His  ojSices 
and  kingly  prerogatives?  But  He  nowhere  testified  so 
directly,  so  expressly,  and  so  plainly,  whom  He  desired  Him- 
self to  be  considered,  as  in  the  farewell  salutation  to  His 
apostles,  in  which  we  hear  Him  say,  "All  poioer  is  given 
unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth"  It  is  true  that  He  says, 
"  is  given  to  me,"  and  by  this  He  means  that  it  is  as  acknow- 
ledged to  be  His,  as  the  Son  of  man,  after  He  had  carried  out 
for  us  the  great  work  of  mediation.  Not  until  then  could  all 
power  be  given  Him.  He  was  invested,  as  King  of  Peace, 
with  absolute  power,  and  it  was  covenanted,  in  connexion 
with  His  propitiation,  that  He  should  be  so.  He  did  not 
possess  it  until  He  had  fulfilled  this  work ;  not  until  then 
could  He  bind  Satan,  extend  the  limits  of  His  kingdom  from 
pole  to  pole,  or  blow  with  the  creative  breath  of  His  reviving 
Spirit  upon  "  the  dry  bones  "  of  humanity,  dispensing  grace, 
and  opening  heaven  to  poor  sinners,  where  Moses  most  right- 
eously condemned.  He  can  now  act  most  freely.  Eternal 
justice  nowhere  obstructs  His  path.  He  exercises  joint 
authority  with  His  Father,  and  the  goal  of  universal  history 
is  the*world's  subjection  to  His  sceptre  of  peace. 

What  must  the  eleven  have  experienced  when  this  grand 
announcement  from  the  lips  of  their  risen  Lord  sounded  in 
their  ears  ?  The  declaration  must  ever  have  remained  pre- 
sent to  their  minds.  We  find  the  whole  apostolic  Cliurch 
upon  their  knees  before  Jesus.  The  question  whether  Christ 
be  to  be  worshipped  or  not  was  never  mooted  until  modern 
times,  until  these  days  of  weak  faith  and  morbid  doubts. 
Throughout  all  ages  His  Church  had  considered  this  a  matter 
of  course.  The  eleven,  whom  you  see  bow  before  Him  yon- 
der on  the  Galilean  mountains,  formed  the  first  link  of  that 
chain  of  wor.shippers  which  has  uninterruptedly  extended 
through  eighteen  centuries   down   to  the  present  day,  and 


204       THE  APPEAKANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

amongst  them  you  will  find  the  best,  the  most  enlightened, 
and  the  noblest  of  every  age.  Of  this;  chain,  which  loses 
itself  in  the  cloud  of  witnesses  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy,  strive  ye  also  to  be  links.  May  that  which  you  see 
but  darkly,  and  that  which  you  believe  but  imperfectly,  by 
the  warrant  of  the  testimony  now  brought  before  you,  be 
confirmed  in  clear,  manly,  and  fixed  assurance.  Acknow- 
ledge with  the  Jews  that  you  are  constrained  to  pass  sen- 
tence of  death  upon  Jesus  as  the  worst  of  all  blasphemers  if 
you  hesitate  to  bow  the  knee  to  Him  as  the  co-equal  Lord 
of  heaven.  The  former  you  will  not  wish  to  do.  Well,  then, 
decide  consistently  to  do  the  latter,  and  especially  since  in 
our  time  the  most  terrible  spirits  of  darkness  struggle  for 
the  dominion  of  the  world.  Heartily  rejoice  that  "all  power 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  "  is  given  to  Him  whose  name  is 
Immanuel,  and  who,  in  the  passage  of  the  Gospel  before  us, 
throws  the  veil  entirely  aside. 

II.  The  hojjc  of  the  world  rests  on  this  foundation — that 
He  fills  the  throne  of  power.  Did  I  not  know  this,  I  should 
doubt  as  to  the  world's  future,  notwitlistanding  my  belief  in 
the  existence  of  a  personal  God.  What  other  course  of  action 
remained  open  to  God,  holy  and  righteous,  with  reference  to 
mankind  perishing  in  sin  and  in  audacious  rebellion  against 
Him  and  His  sacred  government,  but  to  abandon  them  to 
their  own  ruinous  courses,  and  to  resign  them  to  the  dark 
spirit  to  which  they  had  sold  themselves  to  everlasting  death? 
Now,  however,  I  know  that  this  night-clad  earth,  Avitli  its 
growth  of  thorns  and  thistles,  is  committed  to  His  charge 
to  whom  the  eternal  Father  has  confided  the  great  work  of 
mediation  between  Himself  and  sinners  ;  and  now  here 
below,  in  this  curse-laden  valley  of  death,  He  meets  me,  and 
says,  "  The  Son  of  man  came  not  into  the  world  to  condemn 
the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved ;" 
whereupon,  with  the  high  priest   Joshua,  I  defy  him  who 


THE  APPEARA^XE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.  205 

goeth  about  as  a  roaririf,^  lion,  and  say,  "  The  Lord  rebuke 
thee,  0  Satan !  even  the  Lord  that  hath  chosen  Jerusalem," 
(Zeeh.  iii.  2.)  Now,  comforted  in  spirit,  I  steer  my  little 
bark  of  hope  through  all  the  hellish  noise  and  tumult  of  the 
dark  abyss  which  at  present  encompasses  me,  and  in  spirit 
anchor  on  the  shores  of  a  future  whose  bright  and  peaceful 
splendour  far  transcends  the  glory  of  the  lost  paradise. 

A  royal  commission  is  issued  by  our  risen  Lord,  following 
upon  this  proclamation  of  His  majesty.    Hear  Him  '    There- 
fore, (because  all  power  is  given  to  me,)   ''go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  teach  [literally,  make  scholars  and  disciples 
of]  all  nations,  baptizing  them  [in  tlie  original,  whilst  ye 
baptize  them]  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  T  have  commanded  you.''     The  conmiission  is, 
indeed,  concise;  but  one  more  kinglike  or  more  grand  was 
never  heard  on  earth.   What  commanding  confidence  breathes 
in  these  words  !     What  certainty  of  victory  is  disclosed  by 
them  !     They  contain  the  governmental  programme  of  the 
Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth — one  wholly  worthy  of  Him 
and  pe(fuliarly  His  own.     Do  but  consider  who  they  were 
whom  He  thus  addressed.     There  stand  the  poor,  illiterate 
men,  bred  in  poverty,  and  destitute  of  all  worldly  tact ;  these 
are  they  to  whom  He  exhibits  the  wide,  wide  world,  with  its 
millions  lapsed  to  the  powers  of  darkness,  whom  He  charges 
them  to  conquer  for  Him.     What  a  commission  !     And  who 
will  doubt  that   He  seriously  purposed  it?     To  Himself, 
indeed,  the  injunction  appeared  by  no  means  so  gigantic. 
How,    otherwise,    would  His   delivery  have  been  so   calm, 
so    quiet?      What   unparalleled    sublimity   in    the    words, 
"  Go  ye ! "     They  are  equivalent  to  the  word  of  command, 
"Forward  :"  when  given  on  the  battle-field  ;  and  how  trans- 
parently do  they  disclose  our  Lord's  self-consciousness  !     He 
intends  not  only  to  carry  the  banner  Himself  before  His 


206  THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  SLOUNTAIN. 

agents,  but  likewise  to  vrield  the  sword  of  tlie  Spirit  in  their 
hands.  They  will  conquer,  because  He  will  clothe  them  with 
His  min^ht,  will  arm  and  equip  them  wdth  His  strength.  And 
have  they  not  triumphed  in  point  of  fact  ?  At  our  Lord's 
word  these  weak  and  despicable  witnesses  went  forth.  Before 
them  lay  Greece,  intoxicated  with  the  idolatry  of  the  crea- 
ture, and  entangled  in  the  enchantment  of  material  and 
sensuous  beauty ;  before  them  was  Eome,  in  all  its  insolence 
of  wide-sjDread  dominion  and  self-applauding  culture  ;  before 
them  was  Egypt,  which,  by  its  all-powerful  priestly  castes, 
seemed  apparently  ensnared  for  ever  in  the  worship  of 
nature ;  and  before  them  were  how  many  lands  beside,  still 
wrapped  in  blackest  darkness,  to  which  they  were  now 
directed  !  But  they  went ;  and  how  long  was  it  before  the 
idols  of  the  world  everyvvdiere  bowed  themselves  before  the 
crucified  God  whom  these  messengers  proclaimed,  as  Dagon 
once  did  before  the  ark  of  the  covenant?  and  ere  long,  the 
banner  of  the  cross,  though  regarded  by  the  world  as  the 
most  contemj)tible  it  had  ever  known,  waved  as  a  triumphant 
standard  from  the  pinnacles  of  the  proudest  pagodas  and  of 
W'orld-renowned  halls  of  philosophy. 

We  shall  refrain  from  a  more  particular  exposition  of  our 
Lord's  sublime  charge  to  His  disciples,  and  not  entering  on 
the  deeper  signification  of  baptism,  shall  consider  it  merely 
as  the  mode  of  initiation  into  Christ's  Church ;  we  shall  con- 
tent ourselves  wdth  taking  the  passage,  in  its  most  general 
sense,  as  a  divine  commission  for  the  spiritual  conquest  of 
the  world.  And  we  shall  find  the  world's  future  fully  dis- 
closed with  prospects  the  most  consolatory.  The  foundation 
of  an  empire  of  peace  which  shall  embrace  the  wdiole  world 
is  involved  in  His  plan,  whilst  all  power  is  His  too ;  hence 
the  establishment  of  this  kingdom  must  necessarily  come  to 
pass,  oppose  it  what  may.  He  will  not  have  engaged  in  this 
hot  w^arfare  with  the  world  in  vain.     It  shall  be  transformed 


THE  APPEARANCE  01^  THE  MOUNTAIN,  207 

into  a  mirror  of  the  Aliiiighty's  splendour,  into  an  Eden  in 
whicli  "  mercy  and  truth  meet  together,  righteousness  and 
peace  kiss  each  other."  It  shall  come  to  pass  that  everything 
that  hath  breath  shall  bow  to  Immanuel's  sceptre  ;  and  that 
kings  shall  cast  down  their  crowns  at  His  feet ;  that  selfishness 
bhall  everywhere  give  place  to  pure  love,  and  all  government 
shall  proceed  from  Zion  ;  nny,  that  after  Satan  has  been 
bound  in  the  pit,  the  whole  human  race  shall  become  one 
fold  under  one  Shepherd,  and  every  house  shall  be  formed 
into  "a  tabernacle  of  God  tuith  men."  This  is  the  "new 
earth  "  of  which  we  hear  the  Lord  say,  by  the  prophet  Isaiah, 
Ixvi.  22,  it  ''shall  remain  before  me."  This  is  the  everlast- 
ing Jerusalem  which  shall  come  down  from  heaven  to  earth. 
The  sublime  injunction,  "  Go  ye"  still  resounds.  Nay,  it  is 
now  heard  throughout  the  earth  more  loudly  than  heretofore. 
And  He  who  gives  the  word  of  command  knows  assuredly 
that  the  Father  will  put  all  His  enemies  under  His  feet,  and 
tliat  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

HI.  But  when  will  this  happen?  The  Father  hath  put 
the  "  hour  "  in  His  own  power,  (Acts  i.  7.)  And  when  that  is 
come  our  Lord  will  "  speedily  "  accomplish  all  that  remains 
to  be  done.  "  Can  you  still  ignore  that  He,  to  whom  all  power 
is  given,  is  now  already  every  day  at  His  work  ?  Have  you 
run  in  the  wrong  direction  with  your  eyes  fixed  on  some  dark 
corner,  unconscious  of  what  was  going  on  behind  you  ?  Do 
not  the  triumphant  shouts  of  His  heralds  and  standard- 
bearers  already  reach  your  ear  from  distant  heathen  lands  ? 
Is  it  not  even  now  a  great  fact  that  at  this  moment  there 
are  more  than  six  thousand  witnesses  baptized  with  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  at  twelve  hundred  different  stations,  who  preach 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross  to  perishing  Christless  souls? — 
tliat  nearly  a  million  or  converts  who,  some  few  decades 
since,  lay  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  now  join 
with  us  in  worship  at  the  feet  of  the  Lamb?— that  upon  the 


208  THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  SIOUNTAIN. 

most  moderate  computation,  some  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
souls  are  annually  brought  from  amongst  the  heathen  to  our 
Lord,  as  fruits  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  ? — that  the  numbers 
of  heathen  children  who  are  being  educated  in  Christian 
schools,  the  seed-corn  of  a  glorious  future  harvest,  can  scarce 
be  numbered  ? — that  large  tracts  of  land  and  whole  islands, 
which,  but  a  short  time  since,  were  mantled  with  the  blackest 
night  of  sin  and  delusion,  now  illumined  by  the  liglit  of 
Christianity,  emerge  from  their  darkness  as  lovely  gardens 
of  the  Lord's  own  planting  ?  And  can  you  overlook  the  im- 
portant events  which  are  now  transpiring  in  the  very  crown 
of  the  old  father  of  lies,  in  India  and  in  China  ?  Have  you 
not  heard  how  the  Lord,  by  varied  instrumentality,  is  opening- 
breaches,  dic-ging  trenches,  cutting  roads,  in  order  to  make  a 
W'ay  for  tiiui  kingdom  which,  with  the  still  small  voice,  shall 
follow  the  storm,  the  earthquake,  and  the  fire  that  preceded 
it  ?  The  immediate  circle  by  which  we  are  surrounded  offers 
us,  indeed,  far  less  cause  for  consolation.  It  rather  seems  as 
if  everything  connected  with  the  kingdom  of  God  were  with 
us  receding.  At  least  there  is  much  which  might  tempt  us 
to  be  perplexed  with  the  testimony,  ''  All  2^0 wer  is  given  unto 
me!'  But  if  we  look  into  things  more  closely,  we  shall  not 
fpjl  to  discover,  even  in  the  chaotic  commotion  in  which  we 
live,  the  heavenly  Architect,  and  shall  find,  now  here,  now 
there,  the  bright  traces  of  His  ceaseless  energy.  And  how 
should  it  even  be  possible  for  Him  to  leave  us,  since  He  once 
for  all  has  unequivocally  assured  all  His  people,  however  few 
their  number,  "that  the  little  flock  should  not  fear ;  for  it  is 
their  Fathers  good  pleasure  to  give  them  the  kingdom;"  and 
who  likewise  said  and  still  says,  '■  Lo,  I  am  luith  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  ivovld  !" 

How  much  there  is  occurring  precisely  at  this  time  which 
is  obviously  clearing  the  way  for  the  triumph  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  and  His  gospel  amongst  us.     How  palpably  is  it  de- 


THE  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN.       209 

monstrated,  and  tliat  in  the  most  varied  modes,  that  positive 
evangelical  Christianity  is  the  sole  pillar  upon  which  both 
law  and  order  in  society  rest ;  and  most  certainly  not  upon 
negative  Christianity  and  pretended  illumination,  which  are 
already  condemned  by  their  fruits.  The  longer  we  reflect 
upon  it,  the  clearer  is  it,  that  all  education  which  excludes 
the  gospel,  however  it  may  glitter,  is  but  illusory  and  hollow, 
and  that  there  is  but  a  step  from  it  to  barbarism  ;  that  re- 
volt from  Christ,  as  at  present  in  vogue  amongst  us,  inevi- 
tably involves  nothing  less  than  the  gradual  decay  and  ruin 
of  all  true,  moral  consciousness ;  that  the  nations  of  the 
earth  can  only  escape  the  abyss  of  social  and  moral  ruin  by 
following  that  path  which  shall  restore  them  to  the  banner 
of  Immanuel  ;  that  he  who  looses  his  grasp  of  revealed 
truth  must  inevitably  fall  into  that  enchanted  circle  in 
whicli,he  can  no  longer  distinguish  good  from  evil ;  that  he 
who  once  oversteps  the  limits  of  the  gospel  falls  into  a 
sphere  where  nothing  is  left  for  him  but  belief  not  only  in 
blind  chance,  but  likewise  in  the  annihilation  of  man's 
identity  in  death,  and  consequent  utter  hopelessness  and 
despair.  These  are  disclosures  for  which  we  are  indebted 
to  the  present  day,  and  which  are  no  longer  to  be  concealed 
from  the  most  obtuse,  the  most  prejudiced,  and  the  most 
malevolent.  And  shall  we,  out  of  consideration  for  them,  be 
precluded  from  asserting  that  the  Lord  has  since  interfered, 
as  He  previously  did  in  the  beginning  of  the  plan,  and  that 
He  even  now  is  organising  in  our  midst  preparations  whereby 
to  glorify  His  name  afresh  ?  And  consequent  upon  this  con- 
viction, and  irrespective  of  much  that  is  encouraging  at  this 
juncture  as  to  the  Church  and  theology,  does  it  not  seem 
that  the  midnight  gloom  of  the  present  time  is  about  to 
be  suddenly  irradiated,  and  that  in  the  most  auspicious 
manner  ? 

But  that  the  Lord,  faithful  to  His  promise,  really  is  with 

0 


210       THE  APPEAKANCE  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

His  ovni  i^eople  "  daily,"  you  who  are  His  may  prove  by  the 
plainest  vouchers  drawn  from  your  own  personal  experiences. 
Tell  the  imbelieving  world,  then,  of  the  answers  to  prayer 
which  you  have  experienced,  of  the  aids  and  deliverances 
which  continually  challenge  your  surprise  ;  of  the  comfort 
and  peace  which  the  Lord  has  breathed  into  your  heart  in 
times  of  distress,  and  of  the  powers  of  the  w-orld  to  come, 
with  which  He  then  refreshed  you.  Shew  the  unwilling 
sceptic  how  He  cheers  you  with  hope,  with  patience  in  afflic- 
tion, and  that  it  is  your  faith  which  gives  you  the  victory 
over  the  world.  At  the  same  time  tell  them  of  your  friends, 
who  have  already  shaken  oft'  the  dust  of  their  pilgrimage, 
and  have  departed  this  life  not  only  peacefully,  but  even 
triumphantly,  that  it  may  be  known  by  all,  that  He  not 
only  is  with  His  own  people,  but  that  He  remains  with  them 
unto  the  end.  Your  diary  is  the  best  certificate  of  the  truth 
of  His  great  word  of  promise.  Even  though  the  whole 
world  around  you  deny  that  Christ  is  risen,  and  ascended 
into  heaven,  that  "  He  might  fulfil  all  things,"  you  remain 
firm ;  He  is  your  own  ;  and  no  critic,  no  sophist  shall  be 
able  to  rob  you  of  Him  ;  for  your  "  daihj  experience "  is 
your  evidence. 

Since,  then,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  really  is  that  which  He 
has  declared  Himself  to  be  in  the  sublime  announcement 
upon  wdiich  we  now  have  meditated,  why  do  we  still  hesi- 
tate to  bow  the  knee  to  Him,  and  to  devote  body  and  soul 
to  His  service  ?  He  has  all  power  to  condemn  as  well  as  to 
save;  to  exile  to  hell  as  well  as  to  open  the  portals  of  bliss. 
But  His  heart  is  inclined  to  bless,  and  to  gladden.  Let  us 
yield  to  His  gentle  yoke,  and  become  Christians  indeed, 
whose  Christianity  is  not  merely  a  Sunday  dress,  or  holiday 
suit,  but  their  inmost,  deei)est  life  ;  something  possessed  just 
as  the  continuous  silent  functions  of  respiration  and  circula- 
tion,  never   belying  itself  even  in    the   most   insignificant 


THE  APPEAKAXCE  ON  THE  MOUiNTAIN.  211 

actions  or  utterances ;  so  that  the  Christian  is  always  a 
Christian  whether  asleep  or  awake,  in  rest  or  in  action, 
whether  silent  or  speaking,  and  ever  dififuses  the  fragrant 
odour  of  that  Spirit  with  which  he  has  been  inspired  from 
on  higli.  Of  such  ;is  these  is  the  retinue  which  the  King  of 
kings  wills  to  have  around  Hiui.  They  live,  yet  not  they, 
but  Christ  lives  in  them.  May  creative  grace  grant  that  we 
may  all  become  such  Christians !  and  to  this  end,  let  us 
never  cease  to  repeat  the  prayer  of  the  sacred  lyrist : — 

"Lo  !  Thy  presence  filleth  now 
All  Thy  church  in  every  place. 
To  my  he.art,  oh,  enter  Thou ; 
See,  it  thirsteth  fur  thy  grace  ! 
Come,  Thou  King  of  glory,  come, 
Deign  to  make  my  heart  Thy  home, 
There  abide  and  rule  alone. 
As  upon  Thy  heavenly  throne  ! 

"Partmg,  do  Thou  bring  Thy  life, 
God,  and  heaven,  most  inly  near, 
Let  me  rise  o'er  earthly  strife, 
As  though  still  I  saw  Thee  here ; 
And  my  heart,  tiaii?planted  hence. 
Strange  to  earth  and  time  and  sense, 
Dwell  with  Thee  in  heaven  e'en  now, 
Where  our  only  joy  art  Thou  !  " 

Ttrsteegin. — Lyra  Gcrmanico, 


212  THE  ASCENSION. 


XVL 

THE  ASCENSION. 

What  a  glorious  festival  is  that  of  the  ascension  of  our 
Lord,  the  crown  of  all  our  Church  festivals  !  Its  glory  is 
reflected  not  only  from  the  lives  of  the  apostles,  but  from 
their  whole  appearance.  How  were  they  transformed  by 
the  miracle  which  they  witnessed  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  ! 
Henceforth  they  need  nothing,  though  the  earth  refuse  them 
all  it  has  to  offer.  They  calmly  watch,  in  the  flight  of  years, 
their  rapidly- waning  life,  for  they  know  well  the  shores  to 
which  their  life's  bark  is  bound.  They  pass  erect  through 
the  storms  and  tempests  of  their  pilgrimage ;  for,  ere  long,  a 
sun  will  shine  on  them  which  no  cloud  shall  ever  dim,  and 
Avhich  shall  never  set.  They  weep  as  though  they  wept  not ; 
for  possibly  the  morrow  may  land  them  where  the  last  tear 
shall  be  wiped  away  from  their  eyes.  They  possess  as 
though  they  possessed  not,  for  how  valueless  is  all  earthly 
good  when  compared  with  that  which  they  call  their  own 
elsewhere !  They  go  on  their  course  free  and  cheerful,  for 
who  can  rob  them  of  their  riches  ?  Their  souls  are  now  de- 
tached from  all  that  is  subject  to  change.  The  treasures, 
which  they  really  prize  are  inaccessible  to  every  earthly  foe. 
Their  life  is  safe,  for  it  is  concealed  and  hidden  with  Christ 
in  God.  Nothing,  nor  any  one,  shall  ever  separate  them 
from  their  friends  again ;  for  they  know  that  their  associa- 
tions are  eternal.     It  is  not  possible  to  disturb  their  peace, 


THE  ASCENSION.  213 

for  it  no  longer  rests  on  a  temporal  basis.  Their  feet  still 
traverse  the  valley  of  death  ;  but  in  heart  they  walk  in  light 
the  fields  of  immortality.  Their  bark  of  life  may  still  rock 
to  and  fro  on  the  surging  waves,  but  the  anchor  is  already 
cast  in  the  harbour  "within  the  veil."  When  overshadowed 
by  the  cloud  of  death's  dark  hour,  they  then  only  see  Elijah's 
chariot,  which  they  also  soon  will  enter.  And  even  the 
funeral  bell  seems  to  them  merely  an  harmonious  peal  sum- 
moning jthem  to  a  festival  held  near  their  much-loved  home. 
Happy  indeed  are  they!  But  how  did  they  attain  so  en- 
viable a  position  ?  Hear  the  answer  to  this  question  in  Heb. 
vi.  19,  20,  where  one  of  these  blest  mortals  speaks  in  the 
name  of  all :  "  Which  hope  lue  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul, 
both  sure  and  stedfast,  and  which  entereth  into  that  with- 
in the  veil ;  whither  the  forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even 
Jesus."  Do  you  understand  ?  Their  hope  is  founded  on  the 
ascension  of  their  Lord  and  Master.  We  are  now  about  to 
contemplate  this  great  event  attentively.  "  Put  off  thy  shoes 
from  off  thy  feet ;  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is 
holy  ground,"  (Ex.  iii.  5.) 

Mark  xvi.  19;  Luke  xxiv.  50  52  ;  Acts  i,  9-11. 

"  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany ;  and  after  that  he  had 
spoken  with  them,  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and  blessed  them.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted  from  them,  and  carried  up 
into  heaven,  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  And  he  sat  on 
the  right  hand  of  God,  And  they  worshipped  him.  And,  while  they  looked 
Btedfastly  towards  heaven  as  he  went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them 
in  white  apparel ;  which  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing 
up  into  heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven.  Then 
returned  they,  with  great  joy,  unto  Jerusalem  from  the  mount  called 
Olivet,  whicii  is  from  Jerusalem  a  sabbath-day's  journey." 

These  are  the  circumstances  under  which  we  stand  with 
reference  to  the  great  event  whicli  has  burst  open  tlie  prison, 
secluded  within  which  we  were  shut  up  to  tlio  be.iio.irly  scenes 


214?  '  THE  ASCENSION. 

of  time,  and  which  has  transformed  the  gloomy  gate  of  death 
into  a  sunny  and  radiantly-illumined  porch  of  glory.  By  it 
we  who  had  been  exiled  from  the  Father's  house  are  recalled 
home. 

Let  this  heart- elevating  point  of  view  be  that  from  which 
we  may  more  closely  examine  it.  We  see,  in  the  first  place, 
liow  our  Lord  in  His  ascension  points  to  us  the  road  to  the 
far-off  heavenly  tuorld;  and  then  how  He,  anticipaii7ig  our 
arrival  there,  has  taken  possession  of  it  for  us. 

May  He  himself  be  near,  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  re- 
ception into  our  heart  of  the  most  gladdening  of  all  truths, 
the  truth  of  the  ascension  ! 

I.  The  delightful  period  of  the  forty  days  is  past.  The 
eleven,  at  their  Master's  command,  have  returned  from 
Galilee  to  Judea.  We  find  them  on  the  T\Iount  of  Olives, 
the  spot  which  their  Master  had  appointed  for  them  to  meet 
Him.  Let  us  join  them.  Here  a  spectacle  is  about  to  be 
presented  to  us  which  promises  unbounded  satisfaction  to 
one  of  our  soul's  most  pressing  wants.  What  will  then  be 
disclosed  to  us  here?  That  land,  my  friends,  about  which 
we  are  ever  ready  to  seek  information.  We  desire  first  to 
learn  the  direction  in  which  to  look  for  it,  and  then,  as  much 
of  its  nature  and  constitution  as  we  are  able  to  comprehend 
while  here  on  earth ;  and  we  desire,  moreover,  to  be  abun- 
dantly provided  with  all  that  may  aid  us  to  complete  our 
pilgrimage,  "rejoicing  in  hope"  With  the  heart  touched 
by  Christ,  the  heavenly  magnet,  there  is  no  longer  any  true 
repose  for  us  here  on  earth.  We  are  from  that  moment 
impelled  by  a  holy  longing,  which,  ceasing  from  all  that  is 
sublunary  and  imperfect,  presses  forward  to  the  perfect,  and 
by  it  we  are  stimulated  to  cast  anchor  in  a  haven  situate  on 
other  shores,  irradiated  by  another  sun  than  that  of  earth. 
We  pilgrims  and  sojourners  have  indeed  known  hours  of 
heavenly  transport  like  those  experienced  on  Tabor,  in  which 


THE  ASCENSION.  215 

we  might  have  exclaimed  with  Peter,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to 
be  here;  let  us  here  erect  tabernacles'/'  These,  however, 
are  but  hours ;  whilst  we  long  for  eternities.  Yes,  whilst 
here  on  earth,  we  may  be  esteemed  happy,  as  those  who  are 
nursctl  in  the  lap  of  divine  grace  ;  but  it  is  by  faith  alone 
that  we  here  come  to  the  knowledge  that  we  are  so  securely 
sheltered.  But  we  pant  for  sight.  The  consciousness  that 
through  Christ  our  sins  have  lost  their  damning  power  is  to 
us  a  subject  of  intense  delight.  But  sin  itself  cleaves  to  us, 
and  impedes  us  whilst  we  would  so  fain  live  entirely  to  the 
Lord  and  to  His  glory.  Much  that  is  delightful  is  indeed 
offered  to  us  here,  in  communion  with  the  brethren,  and  in 
the  fellowship  of  saints.  But  ah  !  there  are  hours  of  sepa- 
ration, and  tears  at  parting,  and,  besides  these,  many  mis- 
understandings here  below,  and  the  accursed  strife  of  those 
who  are  agreed  in  matters  of  faith,  but  who  fight  for  opinions, 
or  even  for  mere  matters  of  form  I  We  pine  for  intercourse 
with  the  "just  made  perfect"  in  that  light  which  neither 
sin,  death,  nor  Satan  shall  be  able  to  dim  with  their  blended 
shadows.  Yes,  there  is  a  something  alive  within  us  which, 
at  one  time  with  silent  yearning,  at  another  with  passionate 
eagerness,  seeks  a  land  where  the  Lord  no  longer  dwells  in 
darkness — where  the  alternation  of  day  and  night  has  given 
place  to  a  cheerful  and  eternal  spring-like  morning — where 
no  grave-mound  ever  again  shall  indicate  the  melancholy 
termination  of  our  happiest  associations,  nay,  of  all  our  joy 
in  lifC; — where,  on  the  contrary,  the  hand  of  eternal  Love 
shall  wipe  tlie  last  sweat  of  conflict  and  tribulation  from  our 
brow,  and  shall  dry  the  last  tear  from  our  eyes.  Such  is  the 
land  we  seek  and  long  for.  Does  it  really  exist  ?  Where 
are  we  to  look  for  it  ?  Shall  we  ever  reach  it  ?  And  when, 
oh  !  when  shall  we  anchor  there  ? 

You  are  not  ignorant  of  the  kindly  manner  in  which  our 
Lord  cntertaino.l  this  earnest  question  of  our  heart.      We 


21  6  THE  ASCENSION. 

have  His  assurance  that  the  land  really  exists.  He  has  told 
lis  of  that  paternal  home  which  is  beyond  this  sphere,  and 
which  comj^rises  many  mansions.  And  He  has  consoled  us 
with  the  prospect  of  a  future  blissful  occupation  of  them. 
But  the  general  intimation,  that  a  home  such  as  we  desire  is 
there  awaiting  us,  is  inadequate  for  us  poor  mortals.  We 
long  for  more  distinct  views,  for  clearer  and  more  definite 
conceptions  of  this  future  world.  Fain,  whilst  in  the  body, 
would  we  in  spirit  settle  there  !  Nothing  but  a  thoroughly 
intelligible  idea  of  that  other  country  would  meet  our  wishes. 
We  long  to  gaze  into  it,  and  to  be  definitely  informed  not 
only  in  which  direction  the  land  lies,  but  likewise,  especially, 
whether  we  are  justified  in  thinking  of  life  there  as  real  and 
personal,  and  not  as  a  mere  absorption  into  an  ocean  of 
spiritual  existence — as  shadowy  life  without  reminiscence  or 
recognition,  or  without  even  self-consciousness.  All  these 
secret  wishes  of  our  heart  are  fully  satisfied  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  this  is  the  chief  reason  why  we,  with  exultant 
hallelujahs,  should  welcome  the  Feast  of  the  Ascension  as 
a  joyous  festival  of  the  first  and  highest  importance. 

Our  risen  Saviour  has  just  met  the  circle  of  the  eleven 
with  His  wonted  greeting,  "  Peace  he  with  you  !"  Even  now, 
yonder  He  stands  on  the  scene  of  His  conflicts,  of  His  tears. 
But  the  former  are  now  terminated  in  most  glorious  victory, 
and  the  latter  are  for  ever  dried  up.  He  has  ere  He  leaves 
them  still  many  important  suggestions  both  of  consolation 
and  instruction  for  His  disciples.  He  repeats  His  command, 
to  remain  together  in  Jerusalem  awaiting  the  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  according  to  the  promise  of  the  Father.  At 
the  same  time  He  renews  the  great  commission  in  compliance 
with  which  they  are  to  go  out  into  all  the  world,  and,  by 
teaching  the  nations,  to  gain  them  over  to  His  banner,  and 
by  baptizing  to  incorporate  them  into  His  kingdom.  After 
He  has  thus  once  more  solemnly  and  finally  declared  to  them 


THE  ASCENSION.  217 

His  last  injunction,  ^Yllat  occius  tlicrc  ?  Like  a  High  Priest, 
He  spreads  His  liands  over  His  chosen  ones  to  bless  them  ; 
and  in  this  si^-nificant  posture,  all  heavenly  favour  and  grace 
beaming  in  His  <^lorified  countenance.  He  rises  visibly  before 
the  eyes  of  His  disciples,  who  are  overwhelmed  with  adoring 
wonder,  seeino-  Him  soar  from  earth  and  advance  with  silent, 
noiseless  majesty  towards  heaven.  He  is  not  carried  up,  as 
once  Elijah  was,  in  a  chariot  of  fire  ;  He  is  not,  like  Lazarus, 
borne  up  by  angels'  hands.  As  it  became  the  dignity  of  the 
Son  of  God,  He  ascends  by  His  own  unassisted  power.  In 
adoring  silence  the  disciples  watch  Him  in  His  flight.  They 
hardly  know  if  they  dare  trust  their  eyes.  They  indeed  knew 
before  of  another  world,  the  dwelling  of  the  blest ;  but  its 
existence  had  never  previously  been  brought  home  to  them 
so  closely,  so  really,  so  palpably,  and  so  sublimely,  as  at  this 
moment,  when  they  see  their  Master  bodily  ascending  thither. 
Never  until  now  had  the  other  world  assumed  to  them  a 
material  form  and  a  definite  shape.  And  how  fresh,  how 
blooming  and  vigorous  is  the  hope  which  now  wakes  up 
within  them,  how  wonderfully  near  does  that  in  an  instant 
appear  which  had  hitherto  loomed  but  dimly  and  obscurely 
in  the  distance.  It  is  almost  to  them  as  if  they  too  were 
on  their  way  to  heaven,  in  attendance  on  their  soaring- 
Lord.  And  shall  we  not  feel  the  same,  when  we  see  the  Son 
of  Man  and  Mediator  ascend  on  high  ?  Will  not  that  be  the 
first  moment  to  us,  likewise,  in  which  the  great  fact  of  the 
other  world  will  be  [)ersonally  realised  ?  We  are  now  con- 
vinced that  heaven  is  a  habitable  and  inhabited  sphere,  ex- 
isting not  only  in  the  mirror  of  iuiagination,  but  also  within 
the  compass  of  realities, — no  hazy  region  dissolving  like  a 
phantom  into  nothing  at  the  approach  of  day,  but  a  real 
territory  which  has  its  boundaries,  and  to  which  we  journey 
just  as  we  travel  to  any  country  of  our  own  globe.  The 
as(?ension  of  Christ  sliews  us  the  direction  in  which  we  are  to 


218  THE  ASCEX  ION. 

seek  that  heavenly  Canaan.  It  lies  on  the  other  side  of  yon 
azure  sky,  beyond  that  which  we  are  wont  to  term  the  firma- 
ment, and  the  stars  above  us  a,re  but  the  outposts  of  the 
blessed  land,  if  not  indeed  the  .stations  on  our  homeward 
w^ay.  It  is,  therefore,  not  without  reason  that  when  praying; 
w^e  raise  our  eyes  upwards — not  without  truth  that  in  silent 
nights  of  sorrow  we  gaze  upwards  to  the  stars  with  ardent 
longings  and  intense  desire  as  to  the  lights  of  our  Father's 
home.  Nay ;  the  land  of  the  blest  presents  itself  in  such 
reality,  that  had  we  wings  to  bear  us  as  far  as  our  soul's 
longings  stretch,  even  we  should  also,  like  our  Lord,  wing 
our  flight  to  it  beyond  the  stars,  leaving  tlie  dust  of  earth 
behind.  You  will  say  these  representations  of  the  other 
world  are  bold  and  daring ;  but  we  poor  mortals  need  pre- 
cisely such,  successfully  to  combat  the  terrors  of  death,  which 
likewise  are  by  no  means  imaginary,  but  intensely  real.  And 
the  visible  ascension  of  Christ  really  proffers  them  to  us. 
With  thankful  joy  we  appropriate  them,  and  willingly  leave 
spiritualism  to  others  who,  alTecting  a  false  superiority,  sub- 
tilise and  volatilise  the  heavenly  world  to  such  a  degree  "that 
nothing  remains  of  it  but  easily-dispersed  mist  and  vapour. 

"But  are  we,  then,  to  accept  the  so-called  ascension  of 
Christ  as  an  historical  event  ?"  Can  you  still  doubt  it  ?  I 
do  not  indeed  deny  that  there  is  a  strong  temptation  to 
doubt.  Without  much  effort,  however,  w^e  can  here  come  to 
the  aid  of  wavering  faith.  Consider,  in  the  first  place,  that 
the  narrative  is  either  historically  related,  by  all  the  evange- 
lists and  apostles  who  were  themselves  eye-witnesses  of  the 
sublime  event,  or  had  heard  it  reported  from  the  lii3s  of 
credible  and  corroborated  witnesses,  or  (as  in  the  case  of  the 
apostle  Paul)  specially  confirmed  ;  or  it  is  treated  as  being 
publicly  known  and  acknowledged,  and  as  such,  raised  above 
all  contradiction.  In  the  second  place,  do  not  omit  to  notice 
that  the  ascension  of  our  Lord,  no  less  than  His  resurrection 


THE  ASCENSION.  219 

from  tlie  dead,  had  been  repeatedly  and  most  unequivocally 
foretold  and  prophesied  by  Himself,  and  for  a,ocs  previously 
by  the  old  prophets  ;  a  circumstance  which  must  conduce  to 
bring  the  matter  home  to  your  belief.  Reflect  farther,  that 
the  ascension  of  Ciirist  ensues  just  as  necessarily  and  natu- 
rally as  the  development  of  the  flower  when  plant,  stalk, 
leaf,  and  bud,  are  already  in  existence.  Look  at  the  con- 
nexion of  His  whole  career,  how  He  was  sent  down  from 
His  Father,  in  order,  as  God-man,  to  fulfil  His  work  of 
mediation  and  redemption ;  how  He,  obeying,  suffering, 
bleeding,  and  dying,  really  did  fulfil  it ;  thus  perfectly  dis- 
charging the  commission  intrusted  to  Him,  and  then  judge 
for  yourselves,  whether  it  may  not  be  confidently  expected 
that  the  holy,  righteous  Father  in  heaven  would  set  His  seal 
to  that  felicitously-finished  work  of  His  only-begotten  Son, 
not  only  by  raising  Him  again  from  the  dead,  but  by  causing 
Him  also  to  return  in  visible  triumph  to  heaven,  whence  He 
had  descended  to  us.  One  step  in  the  life  of  Jesus  de- 
manded and  required  the  next.  Without  the  ascension  His 
life  were  a  torso,  a  fragment,  an  inexplicable  enigma.  Take 
this,  moreover,  into  consideration  that,  with  the  sole  exception 
of  John,  who  would  have  been  ready  with  joy  to  do  the  like, 
all  the  apostles  willingly  sealed  their  belief  in  the  resurrec- 
tion and  ascension  of  Clirist  witli  their  blood.  How  could 
these  clear-witted,  discreet,  and  intelligent  men  have  re- 
solved \\])0\\  this,  if  they  had  not  been  as  certain  of  both 
these  facts  as  of  their  own  existence?  Besides,  consider  that 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  absolutely  obliges  us  to  accept 
His  ascension  also.  For  where*  could  the  risen  Saviour  have 
remained  if  He  had  not  returned  to  His  Father?  He  must 
necessarily  have  tarried  somewhere  on  earth  in  His  glorified 
body  ;  or,  what  is  still  more  inconceivable  and  contradictory, 
have  died  a  second  time  under  circumstances  that  precluded 
any  eye  from  witnessing  it.     But,  finally,  fix  yonr  atlcnliou 


220  THE  ASCENSION. 

npon  that  wliicb,  as  bcino"  of  permanent  importance,  im- 
peratively challeno-es  it,  the  authoritative  seal  of  historical 
truth  which  He  affixed  Himself,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole 
world,  upon  the  fact  of  His  ascension,  by  the  outpouring,  on 
the  tenth  day  after  His  return  to  heaven,  of  the  promised 
Holy  Ghost.  If  anything  be  fitted  to  remove  our  last  doubt, 
it  is  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

But  look,  once  more,  at  the  order  of  the  historical  incidents 
in  connexion  with  His  ascension,  as  related  in  the  narratives 
of  the  evangelists.  Can  you  mistake  the  strong  impress  of 
truth  with  which  it  is  stamped?  The  Lord  rises  from  the 
scene  of  His  deepest  humiliation  to  the  throne  of  glory. 
The  crown  of  honour  was  presented  to  Him  by  His  Father  on 
that  very  site  where,  like  a  worm  lying  in  the  dust,  He  had, 
for  the  propitiation  of  our  sins,  drunk  the  cup  of  His  most 
bitter  sufterings,  even  to  the  very  dre^s — practical  evidence 
that  He  actually  received  it  as  the  well-merited  reward  of  His 
finished  work  of  mediation.  What  are  the  incidents  which 
transpired  at  the  ascension  r  Had  it  been  fiction,  we  should 
doubtless  have  seen  it  clothed  in  the  form  of  a  sentimental 
parting  scene.  But  we  do  not  find  even  the  slightest  trace  of 
this.  Our  Lord  does  not  speak  like  one  who  is  taking  his  last 
farewell ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  in  a  tone  corresponding  with 
His  exalted  position,  as  one  who  will  henceforth,  for  the  first 
time,  really  be  with  His  disciples,  and  will  manifest  His 
power  on  earth.  Line  by  line,  all  that  is  reported  to  us  is 
so  thoroughly  simple,  and  in  its  very  simplicity  so  sublime, 
so  entirely  in  unison  with  the  deep  meaning  of  His  return 
to  heaven,  so  in  accordance  with  the  nature  and  character  of 
the  departing  Saviour,  that  it  is  absolutely  inconceivable  that 
any  other  pen  than  that  of  the  most  objective  truth,  should 
have  inscribed  this  narrative.  With  dignified  composure,  as 
the  Conqueror  of  all  oppo.sing  powers,  and  as  perfectly  cer- 
tain  of    the  triumphant   future   of    His  cause,  He  spreads 


THE  ASCENSION.  221 

out  His  liands  to  bless  His  disciples,  and  rises  beiore  their 
eyes  until  a  cloud  receives  Him  oat  of  their  sight.  The  aim 
of  His  visible  return  was  attained  precisely  at  that  moment. 
The  disciples  knew  where  their  Master  abode,  and  therefore 
the  curtain  which  had  been  raised  might  again  drop  to  every 
mortal  eye.  But  is  not  the  assumption  that  we  should  be 
expected  to  believe  so  extraordinary  a  miracle  extravagant? 
The  miracle  is  not  greater  than  the  whole  life  of  the  Son  of 
God.  The  deliverance  of  the  fallen  world  could  only  I'c 
achieved  by  means  of  a  chain  of  miracles.  "  But,"  say  you, 
"in  accepting  Christ's  ascension  as  a  fact,  is  there  not  an  in- 
terruption of  continuity  in  tlie  laws  of  nature  ? "  What  laws 
do  you  mean?  You  are  probably  thinking  of  the  law  of 
gravitation;  then  of  the  immeasurable  distance  of  those 
stars  which  mortal  eyes  can  reach ;  and  after  that  of  the 
nature  of  ether  in  which  no  human  being  is  able  to  breathe- 
But  permit  me  to  suggest  that  the  worM  of  glorified  creation 
has  its  own  peculiar  laws,  which  are  indubitably  essentially 
different  from  those  which  govern  the  material  world,  to 
which  we  still  belong;  and  do  not  overlook  the  fact  that 
our  measures  of  space  and  time,  our  ideas  of  the  possible 
and  impossible,  cease  to  be  applicable  there.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that,  beyond  that  cloud,  which  received  our  Lord 
out  of  His  disciples'  sight,  the  ascension  was  continued  with 
far  greater  rapidity  than  during  those  moments  when  the 
disciples  were  still  permitted  to  behold  it.  How  swiftly 
does  a  ray  of  liglit,  or  Hash  of  lightning,  though  belonging 
to  tlie  tilings  of  this  world,  traverse  the  greatest  distances !' 
Might  not  a  glorified  body,  like  that  of  our  risen  Saviour, 
fly  on  the  wrings  of  thouglit?  and  do  not  many  of  our  Lord's 
manifestations  during  the  forty  dnys  oreatly  favour  sucli  an 
assumption?  But  to  the  inquiry,  whether  a  creature  is  still 
capable  of  breathing  in  air  excessively  rarified  or  dense,  we 
answer,  that  everything  depends  on  its  organisation.     Docs 


222  THE  ASCE^'SION. 

not  the  fish  breathe  in  deep  waters,  where  a  thousand  other 
beings  would  immediately  die  ?  and  does  not  the  lark  chant 
forth  her  song  in  spheres  where  our  blood-vessels  would 
instantly  burst  ?  The  restrictions,  conditions,  and  limits  to 
which  earthly  creatures  are  subject  do  not  influence  spirits ; 
and  we  who  are  immured  in  the  earthly  and  material,  can 
form  no  sort  of  conception  of  the  nature  of  a  spiritualised 
body.  Conseqaently,  all  objections  to  the  ascension  based 
upon  the  laws  of  nature  are  without  weight.  We  shall  one 
day  behold  a  sphere  of  creation  of  whose  organisation  we 
had  not  the  slightest  idea  while  here  on  earth. 

11.  The  fact  of  the  ascension  is,  then,  historically  sure.  But 
what  happened  beyond  tiie  cloud  which  concealed  the  risen 
Saviour  from  mortal  eyes  ?  This  has  not  remained  entirely 
shrouded  in  mystery.  In  other  passages  of  Holy  Scripture, 
and  more  especially  in  the  Rev^elation  of  the  apostle  John,  the 
veil  has  been  raised.  We  there  see  far  beyond  that  cloud ; 
and,  oh,  what  "glory  beams  upon  us  there!  We  behold  the 
shining  hosts  of  angels  hastening  to  meet  the  approaching 
King  with  loud  exultant  songs  of  homage,  and  the  old  word 
of  prophecy  is  verified,  "  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout,  the 
Lord  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet,"  Y/e  see  the  companies 
of  the  just  made  perfect,  whom  no  man  can  number,  at  the 
gates  of  the  Holy  City  fall  down  and  worship  the  glorified 
Mediator,  and  we  hear  them  shout  their  hallelujahs  to  Him 
from  the  inmost  de[>ths  of  their  grateful  hearts.  And  He, 
with  gracious  salutations  passing  through  their  midst,  ap- 
])roaches  the  throne  of  the  everlasting  Father.  And  in  the 
hand  of  the  latter,  the  "Ancient  of  Days,''  is  seen  a  book 
written  within  and  without,  and  sealed  with  seven  seals. 
And  a  strong  angel  approaches,  proclaiming  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book,  [it  is  the  book  of 
God's  decrees,]  and  to  loose  the  seals  thereof?"  And  no 
being  equal  to  the  task  is  found,  either  in   heaven  or  on 


THE  ASCENSION.  223 

earth.  And  one  of  the  four  and  twenty  elders  standing 
aioiind  the  throne  takes  up  the  word,  and  says,  "Behold,  the 
Lion  of  tlic  tribe  of  Judah,  the  root  of  David,  hath  prevailed 
to  open  tlic  boolc,  and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof/'  And 
the  everlastin*;-  Son,  the  veritable  High  Priest,  apjDroaches, 
and  takes  the  scroll  out  of  the  right  hand  of  Hiui  that  sits 
upon  the  throne.  Then  the  elders,  with  their  harps  and 
golden  vials  full  of  odours,  fall  down  worshipping  before 
Him  who  is  both  Priest  and  Lamb  in  one,  and  they  sinor  the 
new  song,  "  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open 
the  seals  thereof ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us 
to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  and  nation,  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings 
and  priests  ;  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth."  And  a  chorus 
of  many  thousand  angel  voices  with  triumphant  joy  confirm 
the  same,  saying,  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing."  And,  like  a  rushing  of 
many  waters,  the  loud  "  Amen  "  resounds  throughout  the 
Holy  City.  And  behold,  He  who  was  like  unto  a  son  of 
man  takes  possession  of  the  seat  of  honour  prepared  for 
Him  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  on  the  throne  of  uni- 
versal dominion,  opens  the  seals  of  the  wondrous  book,  and 
"  the  i)leasure  of  the  Lord  prospers  in  his  hand."  Here, 
then,  some  of  those  things  which  transpired  beyond  the 
cloud  are  disclosed  to  your  view\  It  is,  indeed,  disclosed  to 
us  in  typical  representation  ;  but  that  which  is  thus  ren- 
dered intelligible  to  our  poor  human  comprehension,  is 
nevertheless  real  and  actual.  In  this  exaltation  of  Him 
who  was  fairer  than  the  children  of  men,  we  rejoice,  in  the 
first  place,  on  His  own  account;  but  do  not  forget  in  how 
exceedingly  joyous  a  sen^e  we  also  share  in  this  His  triumph. 
In  Him  who  is  thus  so  highly  exalted,  we  are  to  see,  not 
merelv  the  Son  of  God,  but  likewise  the  second  Adam,  our 


224  THE  ASCENSION. 

Advocate,  Surety,  and  Representative.  On  the  day  of  His 
ascension,  He  took  jDossession  of  heaven,  not  only  for  Him- 
self, but  also  for  us.  Remember  the  mysterious  relation  in 
which  He  had  entered  with  us,  and  the  wonderful  exchange 
W'hich  He  had  made  with  us.  By  imputation,  He  assumed 
our  o-uilt  as  well  as  our  oblioatious.  Havino;  done  so,  heaven 
was,  by  His  own  admission,  closed  even  against  Himself 
whilst  in  this  state  of  humiliation.  The  cherub  stationed  at 
the  gate  of  paradise  refused  even  Him  admittance,  for  he  saw 
that  His  entrance  into  it  was  likewise  coupled  with  the  in- 
dispensable condition  that  He,  in  our  stead,  should,  under  a 
thousand  severe  trials,  yield  perfect  satisfaction  to  the  in- 
flexible law,  and  at  the  same  time  should  suffer  and  die  to 
expiate  those  sins  on  account  of  wdiich  the  curse  of  the  law 
rested  on  humanity.  He  had  accomplished  both  when,  on 
the  cross,  bowing  His  head  in  death.  He  uttered  the  trium- 
phal exclamatiou,  "  It  is  finished  !"  Every  barrier  w^as  now 
removed,  and  the  gate  of  the  Holy  City  was  once  more  open 
before  Him.  He  entered  into  heaven,  not  merely,  how^ever, 
as  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the  Father,  but  as  the  man  who 
had  become  a  Surety,  and  who  had  paid  all  that  was  due. 
Since  the  obligations  which  He  fulfilled  were  ours,  the  right 
of  entrance  into  the  world  of  glory  awarded  Him  was  like- 
wise so  to  us.  He  took  possession  of  henYen  for  us, — that  is, 
for  as  many  of  us  as  are  become  one  with  Him,  and  foi^  us 
He  ever  holds  it,  constantly  interceding  for  us  before  the 
Father  with  His  own  righteousness. 

"  But  by  wdiat  road  may  w^e  hope  to  enter  into  this  hea- 
venly Jerusalem  ? "  This  no  longer  need  excite  our  solici- 
tude. It  lies  indeed  through  the  dark  valley  of  death  ;  and 
though  without  human  attendant,  it  is  not  solitary,  neither 
are  we  left  alone.  You  already  know  what  a  prospect  the 
Lord  revealed  to  His  disciples  in  His  farewell  address  to 
them.      After  the  assurance  that  He  was  going  to  prepare 


THE  ASCENSION.  225 

mansions  for  them,  He  said:  "And  i^I  go,  I  will  come 
arjain  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  luliere  I  am,  there 
ye  may  he  also."  And  ^vliat  hnppened  to  the  disciples  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  whilst,  willi  adoring'  astonishment,  they  gazed 
after  their  ascending  Master?  '' Behold,"  the  narrative  in- 
forms us,  "  two  men  stood  by  them  in  luhite  apparel,  [shin- 
ing angels,]  ivhich  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand 
ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken 
up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as 
ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven.''  These  words  referred, 
indeed,  first  of  all  to  a  remote  future,  and  announced  that 
the  Prince  of  Peace  should  one  day  visibly  return  to  consum- 
mate His  kingdom  upon  earth.  But  nevertheless  the  disciples 
were  justified  in  accepting  it  as  a  promise  for  their  last  hour, 
as  though  our  Lord  had  addressed  them,  as  would  a  mother, 
■when  starting  on  a  journey,  saying  to  her  little  ones  who 
sorrowfully  look  on,  "  Be  liapny  !  I  am  not  going  away  for 
ever ;  I  am  coming  back,  and  shall  see  you  again  very  soon." 
And,  doubtless,  He  will  appear  at  the  very  time  when  the 
anxiety  of  our  hearts  shall  be  the  most  intense ;  and  then, 
although  unseen,  in  a  manner  never  before  experienced,  shall 
we  realise  His  presence  and  help.  It  may  be  that  at  the  very 
entrance  of  the  harbour  a  storm  shall  try  our  faith.  But 
even  if  a  great  strug-gle  should  take  place  at  the  separation 
of  body  and  soul,  still,  how  is  it  possible  that  we  should  not 
come  off  easy  victors,  if  in  the  last  conflict  we  hear  His  greet- 
ings, and  recognise  His  hand  as  that  which  soothes  our  last 
suffering.  And  were  that  hour  arrived  when  our  weeping 
friends,  standing  around  our  bed,  shall  whisper  to  each  other, 
"He  has  breathed  his  last — he  has  ceased  to  struiio-le  ;"  then 
we  too  shall  have  commenced  that  journey,  which  we  here 
have  seen  undertaken  by  our  great  Forerunner  and  Pioneer. 
And  when  our  earthly  tabernacle  is  consigned  to  its  last 
resting-place, — a  "seed  sown  of  (lod  to  ripen  unto  the  day  of 


22G  THE  ASCENSION. 

the  harvest/' — then  shall  we  already  have  entered  the  golden 
streets  of  the  eternal  heavenly  city,  led  by  the  hand  of  our 
Eedeemer.  And  that  which  surrounds  us  there  is  not  some 
stranoe  and  unknown  world,  in  which  we  feel  like  lost  and 
deseri  cd  children  ;  but  our  arrival  there  will  be  as  our  return 
home  from  travel  to  meet  again  father  and  mother,  brothers 
and  sisters.  Just  as,  at  our  birth  into  this  world,  we  found 
the  place  in  every  respect  prepared  for  us, — the  little  cradle 
ready  standing  there,  shelter,  food,  and  clothing  all  provided, 
while  father  and  mother  welcomed  us  most  cordially, — in  like 
manner  shall  we  find  everything  in  the  heavenly  world  in  a 
state  most  perfectly  prepared  for  us.  We  have  long  been 
known  there,  we  have  long  been  called  by  our  name,  and 
expected  with  joy.  And  we  may  believe  that  we  shall  feel 
infinitely  more  at  home  in  the  beautiful  world,  free  from 
night  and  sin,  than  w^e  ever  were  whilst  on  this  earth ;  and 
there  will  be  inscribed  upon  every  joy  which  we  there  ex- 
perience, and  on  every  association  in  w4iich  we  feel  our 
happiness  involved,  the  one  precious  word — the  word  eter- 
nal. There  w^ill  be  no  more  occasion  to  complain,  '"'  This  it  is 
that  pains  me,  that  it  is  that  vexes  me,  that  I  cannot  suffi- 
ciently love  Thee ;  '  but  our  heart  will  overflow  with  fervour, 
and  we  shall  never  waut  breath  to  unite  with  our  fellows  in 
glory  and  happiness,  in  singing  to  our  full  heart's  desire  the 
great  hallelujah  in  His  praise,  who  has  loved  us  so  far  beyond 
all  expression,  and  who  has  so  exalted  us. 

Such,  then,  brethren,  are  our  prospects  for  the  future. 
But  whilst  I  call  them  ours,  I  can  of  course  only  think  of 
those  amongst  us  who  really  belong  to  the  company  of  be- 
lievers. You  others  are  going  another  way.  But  can  you 
wish  to  tarry  longer  on  that  road  ?  Are  our  paths  really  hence- 
forth and  for  ever  to  be  divergent  ?  God  forbid  it !  Come 
i.nd  travel  with  us.  If  the  path  which  you  traverse  with  us 
be  riio-ged  and  steep,  it  is,  nevertheless,  lovely,  and  winds 


THE  ASCENSION.  227 

along  under  the  rustling  palm-trees  of  hope.  Gather  with 
us  around  the  banner  of  the  cross,  render  with  us  homage 
to  tlie  glorified  Prince  of  Peace,  and  unite  with  us  in  the  old 
joyous,  and  hopeful  song  of  our  pilgrimage — 

"  A  pilgrim  here  I  wander, 
On  earth  have  no  abode; 
My  fatherland  is  yonder, 

My  home  is  with  ray  God. 
For  here  I  journey  to  and  fro — 

There  in  eternal  rest 
Will  God  His  gracious  gift  bestow 
On  all  the  toil-oppress'd." 

Lyra  Qermaaiiofk 


228  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 


XVIL 

THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

"The  hope  of  the  righteous  shall  be  gladness,"  says  Solomon 
in  Proverbs  x.  28.  A  consolatory  passage  indeed,  if  we  but 
rightly  interpret  the  designation  "righteous.''  We  are  not 
to  understand  by  this,  righteous  according  to  law  ;  for  where 
would  such  be  found  among  the  children  of  Adam  but  in 
those  who  have  been  justified  by  grace,  who,  although  still 
sinners  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  nevertheless  have  with  their 
whole  heart  yielded  themselves  up  to  God  the  Lord,  and  have 
seriously  determined  to  live  and  die  for  Him  ?  Such  as  these 
are,  for  Christ's  sake,  considered  blameless  in  the  sight  of 
God.  But  these,  however  confidently  they  may  repose  in  the 
love  of  God,  nevertheless  still  have  to  bide  their  time.  All 
that  which  they  long  and  pray  for  does  not  immediately 
fall  into  their  lap.  How  long  had  an  Abraham,  in  all  the 
fulness  of  divine  promises  which  had  been  vouchsafed  him, 
to  exercise  his  patience  before  even  one  of  them  was  fulfilled  ! 
How  many  sighs  and  tsars  were  offered  by  Hannah,  Samuel's 
pious  mother,  before  her  heart's  wish  was  granted  !  Think, 
further,  of  the  author  of  the  thirteenth  Psalm,  the  "  man  after 
God's  own  heart,"  and  remember  how  often  he  prayerfully 
sighed,  "  How  long  wilt  Thou  forget  me,  0  Lord,  for  ever  ? 
how  long  wilt  Thou  hide  Thy  face  from  me  ? "  as  likewise  of 
Paul,  that  ''chosen  vessel,"  and  of  his  constantly-recurring 
p:'tition,  apparently  unheard  so  long  by  the  Lord,  that  he 


THE  TIME  OF  WAITING.  229 

might  be  relieved  from  the  thorn  in  his  flesh,  and  from  the 
messenger  of  Satan,  who  had  been  sent  to  buffet  him.  But 
none  of  these  cast  away  their  confidence,  but  waited  and 
waited  on,  though  often  with  anxiety  and  discouragement. 
But  the  Lord  will  never  put  even  the  weakest  faith  to  shame. 
The  hope  of  those  saints  issued  in  gladness. 

Yes,  and  so  it  will  ever  be.  By  expectant  hope  we  honour 
the  Lord,  we  glorify  His  name  before  men,  we  practise  hu- 
mility, that  cardinal  virtue  of  the  true  Christian,  and  uncon- 
sciously attune  the  harp-strings  of  our  souls  to  a  still  more 
fully  intoned  hallelujah  against  that  time  when  that  which 
we  believe,  and  faithfully  persevere  in  believing,  shall  cer- 
tainly come  to  pass.  We  shall  realise  that  proverb  of  Solo- 
mon, "  The  .hope  of  the  righteous  shall  be  gladness,"  and 
likewise  the  well-known  declaration  of  the  Psalmist,  "  They 
looked  unto  him,  and  were  lightened ;  and  their  faces  were 
not  ashamed,"  (Psalm  xxxiv.  5.) 

We  are  about  to  enter  a  circle  of  praying  and  expectant 
believers,  who  will  be  able,  though  such  is  not  always  the 
case,  within  a  few  days  to  confirm  and  indorse  from  their 
own  experience  the  saying  of  Solomon.  Let  us  in  spirit 
join  these  beloved  brethren,  and  may  the  Lord  graciously 
tune  our  hearts  in  harmony  with  theirs  ! 

Acts  i.  12-26. 
"  Then  returned  they  unto  Jerusalem  from  the  mount  called  Olivet, 
which  is  from  Jerusalem  a  sabbath-day's  journey.  And  when  they  were 
come  in,  they  went  up  into  an  upper  room,  where  abode  both  Peter,  and 
James,  and  John,  and  Andrew,  Philip,  and  Thomas,  Bartholomew,  and 
Matthew,  James  the  son  of  Alphseus,  and  Simon  Zelotes,  and  Judas  the 
brother  of  James.  These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  sup- 
plication, with  the  women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  his 
brethren.  And  in  those  days  Peter  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples, 
and  said,  (the  number  of  names  together  were  about  an  luuidred  and 
twenty,)  Men  and  brethren,  this  scripture  must  needs  have  been  fulfilled, 
wliich  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  mouth  of  David  spake  before  concerning 
Judas,  which  was  guide  to  them  that  took  Jesus.     For  he  was  numbered 


230  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

with  us,  and  had  obtained  part  of  this  ministry.  Xow  this  man  purchased 
a  field  with  the  reward  of  iniquity  ;  and  falling  headlong,  he  burst  asunder 
in  the  midst,  and  all  his  bowels  gushed  out.  And  it  was  known  unto  all 
the  dwellers  at  Jerusalem ;  insomuch  as  that  field  is  called  in  their  pro- 
per tongue,  Aceldama,  that  is  to  say.  The  field  of  blood.  For  it  is  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  Psalms,  Let  his  habitation  be  desolate,  and  let  no  man 
dwell  therein  :  and  his  bishoprick  let  another  take.  Wherefore  of  these 
men  which  have  companied  with  us  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went 
in  and  out  amongst  us,  beginning  from  the  baptism  of  John,  unto  that 
same  day  that  he  was  taken  up  from  us,  must  one  be  ordained  to  be  a  wit- 
ness with  us  of  his  resurrection.  And  thc}^  appointed  two,  Joseph  called 
Barsabas,  who  was  surnamed  Justus,  and  Matthias.  And  they  prayed,  and 
said.  Thou,  Lord,  which  knowest  the  hearts  of  all  men,  shew  whether  of 
these  two  thou  hast  chosen,  that  he  may  take  part  of  this  ministry  and 
apostleship,  from  which  Judas  by  transgression  fell,  that  he  might  go  to 
his  own  place.  And  they  gave  forth  their  lots  ;  and  the  lot  fell  upon 
Matthias ;  and  he  was  numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles." 

The  Sunday  (Exaudi^)  which  intervenes  between  the 
Day  of  Ascension  and  Whitsuntide  has,  and  not  without  some 
truth,  been  called  the  "  orphan  child  "  among  the  Sundays  of 
the  ecclesiastical  year.  The  Lord  has  ascended  into  heaven, 
and  His  manifestation  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  is  still  to 
come.  This  Sunday  stands  thus  isolated  between  the  two 
festivals ;  the  orphan  child,  however,  bears  a  precious  trea- 
sure in  its  little  casket, — the  promise,  "  I  will  pour  out  of  my 
Spirit  upon  all  flesh," — and  says,  prayerfully  and  hopefully, 
Exaudi! — i.e.,  "Hear  my  prayer."  In  days  of  yore,  this 
Exaiidi  formed  the  key-note  in  tlie  hearts  of  the  believers 
during  the  intervening  time.  We  feel  powerfully  attracted 
to  them.  It  is  edifying,  consolatory,  and  instructive  to 
linger  in  their  midst.  Well,  let  us  in  spirit  join  their  com- 
pany, and  consider,  in  the  first  place,  the  state  of  soul  of  the 
disciples  at  this  juncture ;  then,  the  address  of  one  of  their 
number ;  and,  lastly,  the  act  which  they  perform :  and  let 
us  gratefully  accept,  as  from  the  Lord,  all  spiritual  profit 

*  Psalm  cxliii. 


THE  TIME  OF  WAITING.  231 

and  blessing  which  may  be  vouchsafed  to  us  whilst  medi- 
tating upon  this  apparently  destitute  Sunday ! 

T.  The  disciples,  in  returning  from  Mount  Olivet  to  Jeru- 
salem, did  as  our  Lord  before  His  ascension  had  commanded 
them.  We  here  find  them  in  one  of  those  upper  chambers 
of  those  buildings  which  surrounded  the  temple,  and  which 
were  daily  open  to  all  those  who  wished  to  retire  for  prayer 
or  pious  conversation.  And  what  an  assembly  it  was !  As 
far  as  outward  appearance  and  splendour  are  concerned,  it 
was  poor.  Were  all  the  kings  and  emperors,  all  the  men  of 
science  and  learning,  all  the  poets  and  artists  in  the  world, 
to  be  gathered  together  in  congress,  they  would  never  form 
an  assembly  so  important,  so  pregnant  with  reference  to  the 
future,  and  so  rich  in  promise  for  the  progress  of  the  world, 
as  that  assembled  there.  Therefore,  let  no  one  ever  judge 
from  mere  appearances ;  and  specially,  be  on  your  guard 
against  being  imposed  upon  by  what  are  styled  majorities. 
The  company  assembled  in  the  jDorch  of  the  temple  numbered 
but  a  hundred  and  twenty  souls ;  but  to  whom  was  the 
future  of  the  world  committed  ?  To  this  handful  of  insigni- 
ficant Galileans,  divested  of  all  external  respectability  ?  or  to 
the  millions  in  Judea  and  Jerusalem  who  looked  down  upon 
them  with  a  scornfully-affected  superiority  ?  Were  not  the 
former  right  in  every  respect?  and  did  not  the  surging, 
raging  multitude,  however  proudly  it  might  raise  its  head, 
go  entirely  astray,  bound  with  the  fetters  of  delusion  and 
blindness  ?  In  society,  uniform  opinion  and  similar  modes 
of  expression  constitute  what  we  are  wont  to  designate  "  the 
prevailinii;  tendencies  of  the  times,"  or  "public  02:>inion ;"  and 
how  frequently  are  these  checked  and  brought  back  to  the 
point  from  which  they  started  by  the  sentiments,  boldly 
stated  and  firmly  maintained,  of  one  resolute  public  man ! 
For  it  then  happens  that,  for  a  time,  this  one  man  will,  as  a 
spiritual  despot,  rule  over  hosts  of  his  contemporaries,  who 


232  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

then  appear  in  the  miserable  and  despicable  character  of  his 
servile  copyists  and  train-bearers.  I  say,  however,  emphati- 
cally, for  a  time.  In  the  last  century  only,  how  many 
philosophical  and  political  doctrines  and  systems,  streams 
issuing  from  the  fountain-head  of  error  and  deception,  have 
for  a  time  inundated  the  whole  world,  and  then  subsided  ! 
And  doubt  not,  that  the  muddy  torrent  which  overspreads 
the  world  at  present  under  the  ostentatious  name  of  ''ad- 
vanced science  and  culture,"  will  also,  in  its  time,  j^ass  away. 
The  gospel,  however,  remains,  and  emerges  entire  and  unin- 
jured from  every  wdiirlpool  which  threatened  to  ingulf  it. 
Why  ?  Because  it  has  an  incorruptible  advocate  in  con- 
science, seated  in  the  human  breast,  from  which  it  cannot  be 
dislodged,  nnd  which  perpetually  proves  itself  to  be,  to  every 
one  inclined  to  trust  it,  a  "  power  of  God,"  calculated  not 
only  to  bless,  but  to  sanctify.  Therefore,  as  to  the  gospel, 
there  is  no  cause  of  apprehension.  It  is  true  that  believers 
are  now  in  the  minority.  But  what  matters  that  ?  In  which 
camp  does  the  Lord  abide  ?  We  have  His  promise,  "  Where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I 
in  the  midst  of  them,"  (Matt,  xviii.  20  ;)  and  again  and  again 
has  He  stamped  the  impress  of  His  seal  upon  this  His 
promise,  by  its  fulfilment  in  the  experience  of  thousands. 

Amongst  the  hundred  and  twenty  who  were  assembled  at 
Jerusalem,  the  sacred  narrative  specially  mentions  the  women 
— those  who  had  never  left  their  Lord  and  Master,  not  even 
at  His  cross  and  grave,  and  whose  heroic  love  put  the  men 
to  utter  shame.  The  Holy  Ghost  here  erects  a  new  tablet 
of  honour  to  these  faithful  ones,  in  order  that  their  faith  and 
constancy  may  be  spoken  of  even  to  the  end  of  time.  Their 
names  are  written  in  the  book  of  life  as  well  as  on  these 
sacred  pages.  Adorned  with  the  heavenly  crown,  they  have 
long  surrounded  the  throne  of  God.  Oh  !  my  sisters,  to 
whom  I  now  more  specially  address  myself,  come  and  asso- 


THE  TIME  OF  WAITING.  233 

ciate  yourselves  with  these  disciples  as  companions  in  their 
faith  !  You  can  attain  to  no  higher  honour  here  on  earth 
than  to  belong  to  their  choir.  In  the  apostolic  narrative, 
Mary,  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  is  again  specially  mentioned 
among  the  women.  Looking  upon  this  quiet  circle,  the  eye 
fastens  upon  her ;  no  longer,  however,  as  the  broken-hearted 
one  whom  we  saw  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  cross ;  for, 
since  His  resurrection  and  ascension,  her  soul,  which  had 
previously  been  pierced  as  with  a  sword,  was  now  for  ever 
healed,  and  her  mourning  for  the  son  of  her  body  converted 
into  exultant  joy  in  Him  as  her  Mediator  and  Saviour.  For 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  she  knew  herself  to  be  a  poor 
sinner  in  God's  sight,  even  as  others.  Therefore  she  is  not 
in  this  assembly  engaged  as  an  intercessor  for  them;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  i^rostrating  herself  in  the  dust  together  with 
them,  she  implored  intercession  with  the  Father  of  the  only 
and  everlasting  High  Priest,  who  had  been  raised  to  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  in  common  with  them  all.  It 
appears  that,  soon  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  she  entered  the 
Jerusalem  above.  What  a  spectacle  must  this  meeting  have 
been  to  the  denizens  of  heaven  I 

The  eleven,  with  whom,  as  His  most  intimate  friends,  our 
Lord  was  wont  to  be  surrounded,  were  the  choicest  part  and 
centre  of  this  assembly  at  Jerusalem.  Who  shall  describe 
the  feelings  of  these  men  ?  What  prayerful  desires,  blissful 
hopes,  and  great  expectations  gushed  like  a  torrent  throuo-h 
their  minds  !  We  here  find  them  already  freed  from  much 
error  and  misapprehension,  to  which  they  previously  had 
been  subject.  By  their  Master's  death,  resurrection,  and 
ascension,  their  conception  of  the  constitution  of  God's  king- 
dom upon  earth  had  undergone  a  thorough  purification. 
Their  apprehensions  of  their  Lord's  person  had,  through  the 
influence  of  these  evients,  almost  ceased  to  be  clouded.  Since 
they  wlio  were  invested  with  the  apostolic  office  liad  it  im- 


234  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

posed  on  them,  as  a  duty  paramount  to  every  other,  to  publish 
the  fact  that  the  work  of  atonement  had  been  wrought  out, 
they  needed  an  increase  of  light  and  elevation  to  render 
definite  the  vague  perceptions  of  it  which  had  up  to  this 
period  filled  their  minds.  They  needed  also  to  be  thoroughly 
enlightened  as  to  the  meaning  of  Christ's  having  disabled 
Satan,  and  His  having  taken  away  the  sting  of  death ;  as  also 
of  His  mediation  between  a  sinful  world  and  a  holy  God. 
And  how  greatly  did  they  need  to  be  endowed  with  courage, 
with  power  from  on  high,  and  with  a  plenitude  of  other  gifts, 
in  order  that  they  might  really  be  strong  enough  to  become 
pillars  of  the  new  kingdom  of  peace  on  earth  !  Their  hearts 
were  like  a  well-tilled  field,  but  in  which  the  crop  was 
languishing  for  want  of  rain  and  sunshine.  Though  on 
former  occasions  they  had  not  always  received  the  intimation 
of  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  them  with  due 
interest,  how  deeply  did  they  feel  its  importance  now,  and 
lona:  for  the  moment  of  its  fulfilment  I  Their  whole  soul 
was  prayer,  and  they  irresistibly  brought  their  fellow-believers 
to  entertain  the  same  views.  We  find  them  daily  assembled 
in  that  quiet  apartment  of  the  temple,  where  they  "con- 
tinued," as  the  narrative  relates,  "with  one  accord  in  prayer 
and  supplication."  0  sublime  assembly,  soaring  on  eagle's 
wings  above  the  heights  of  earth  !  We  see  in  it  the  seed  of 
a  new  nature  implanted  by  God,  and  feel  that,  since  what 
their  souls  pant  for  relates  solely  to  the  imperishable  and 
eternal,  their  desire  cannot  fail  to  be  realised. 

II.  Thus  whilst  the  little  flock  awaited  with  the  greatest 
anxiety  that  which  was  about  to  happen,  it  came  to  pass  one 
day  that  while  they  were  again  met  for  prayer,  suddenly  one 
amongst  them  arose  to  submit  an  important  proposition  to 
his  brethren.  It  v.-as  Simon  Peter.  Deeply  affected,  he  first 
reminded  them  of  the  tragic  end  of  their  ftllow-a])ostle  Judas. 
The  last  thing  that  would  have  occurred  to  the  disciple,  upon 


THE  timl:  of  wajting.  235 

whose  eyelids  a  teau  treinbleti  at  his  own  denial,  would  have 
been  to  make  mention  of  that  wretched  man,  if  it  had  not 
been  opportune  for  him  to  found  the  proposition  which  he 
was  about  to  make  to  his  brethren  on  a  text  of  Scripture. 
"  Accordino;  to  Scrii)ture,"  he  begins,  and  probably  is  think- 
ing especially  of  the  words  in  Psalm  xli.  9,  "  He  who  did  eat 
of  my  bread  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me,"  which  the 
Lord  himself  ha< I  expressly  applied  to  the  traitor, — "Judas 
became  a  guide  to  them  that  took  Jesus  ;  for  he  was  num- 
bered with  us,  and  had  obtained  a  part  of  this  ministry. 
Now  this  man,"  continues  Peter,  "purchased  a  field  with 
the  reward  of  iniquity,  [i.e.,  it  was  owing  to  him  that  a  field 
was  bought  with  the  price  of  blood,  that  for  which  he 
betrayed  his  Lord,  in  which  his  body  was  buried  after  his 
death  ;]  and  falling  headlong,  [when  the  cord  with  which 
he  had  hung  himself  broke,  and  the  branch  of  the  tree,  as 
though  with  horror  and  aversion,  shook  ofi"  its  accursed 
fruit,]  he  burst  asunder  in  the  midst,  and  all  his  bowels 
gushed  out."  We  learn  from  these  words  that  the  field  in 
which  he  had  been  interred  was  the  same  spot  where  this 
miserable  man  committed  suicide,  and  which  he,  falling 
headlong,  had  covered  with  his  body,  and  had  literally  seized 
and  taken  possession  of  as  an  inheritance.  He  had  preferred 
the  earthly  to  the  heavenly,  and,  now  he  possessed  it ;  a  dread- 
ful irony  of  Divine  justice  was  involved  in  this  gloomy  fiite. 
Peter  continues — "  And  it  was  known  unto  all  the  dwellers 
at  Jerusalem,  insomuch  as  that  field  is  called  in  their  proper 
tongue,  Aceldama,  that  is  to  say,  The  field  of  blood,"  (in  re- 
membrance of  the  bloody  end  of  the  traitor,  and  of  the  in- 
nocent blood  which  he  had  betrayed.)  This  field,  however, 
was  situate  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom, — which  was  never  men- 
tioned by  the  Jews  but  with  horror, — in  which  in  former  days 
children  had  been  sacrificed  to  Moloch,  and  which  was  re- 
garded as  laden  with  the  curse  of  the  Almighty.     Peter  in 


236  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

his  speech  then  refers  to  Psahn  Ixix.,  where  David,  as  the  Old 
Testament  type  of  the  Messiah,  curses  his  enemies,  and 
especially  adduces,  (ver.  25,)  "  Let  their  habitation  be  deso- 
late, and  let  none  dwell  in  their  tents."  He  applies  these 
words  to  the  dreadful  desolation  and  waste  of  the  field  in 
which  Judas  was  interred,  and  then  quotes  Psalm  cix.  8, 
which  contains  the  same  meauiuo-,  expressed  in  the  words, 
'•'His  bishoprick  [ie.,  the  office  which  had  been  intrusted 
to  him  whom  God  had  now  rejected]  let  another  take." 
By  this  text  he  specially  establishes  the  necessity  that  the 
apostolic  charge  of  Judas  should  be  transferred  to  another. 
You  have  here  again  the  opportunity  to  observe  what  the 
sacred  writings  of  the  Old  Testament  were  to  the  apostles. 
They  recognised  no  difference  between  the  Scriptures  and 
the  Word  of  God  in  Scripture.  The  whole  Scripture  was 
God's  word  to  them,  and  they  rested  on  their  Master's  as-' 
sertion,  "The  Scripture  cannot  be  broken."  Let  persons  but 
continue,  as  they  are  v/ont  now-a-days  publicly,  to  declaim 
that  the  Scriptures  are  not  God's  Word,  but  that  it  must  be 
submitted  to  the  judgujent  of  reason  what  portion  shall  be 
held  to  be  divine  and  what  to  be  human  ;  the  common  man 
will  then  but  too  quickly,  and  others  with  him  likewise,  logi- 
cally deem  that  God's  word  in  Scripture  is  restricted  to  that 
which  man  shall  be  pleased  to  admit  as  such.  If  the  authority 
of  the  Bil)le  in  the  world  be  thus  continuously  undermined, 
you  will  in  a  short  time  see  human  society,  with  all  its  regu- 
lations and  institutions,  shattered  in  such  a  manner  as  will 
make  many  a  man's  hair  stand  on  end. 

After  Peter  bad  thus  adequately  supported  and  based  his 
proposition  on  Scripture,  he  addressed  them  as  follows  : — 
"  Wherefore  of  these  men  luhich  have  companied  with  us  all 
the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among  uSy 
her jinni}i(j  from  the  baptism  of  John,  unto  that  same  day  that 
he  was  taken  up  from  us,  must  one  he  ordained  to  he  a 


THE  TIME  OF  WAITING.  237 

ivitness  with  us  of  his  resurrection."  Mark  well  these  words. 
Ocular  and  auricular  testimony  of  our  Lord's  entire  public 
life,  up  to  the  time  of  its  glorious  issue,  is  here  set  forth  as 
the  first  and  most  indispensable  condition  associated  with 
induction  into  the  apostolic  cliarge.  Hence  you  may  see  on 
liow  firm  and  sure  a  foundation  this  belief  rests.  Amonfy 
the  apostles  whose  writings  have  been  handed  down  to  us, 
Matthew,  John,  Peter,  and  James  fully  met  this  claim ;  and 
Paul  likewise  bad,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  with  his  bodily  eyes, 
seen  Christ  after  His  resurrection  and  exaltation.  At  the 
same  time,  observe  what  a  high  importance  the  apostles 
attach  to  our  Lord's  resurrection,  and  to  the  historical  credi- 
bility of  this  miracle.  And  this  they  were  fidly  warranted 
in  doing.  Upon  this  one  event,  if  truly  established  as  d,  fact, 
everything  must  of  necessity  be  shattered,  which  ever  has 
been,  or  ever  shall  be,  adduced  against  Christianity.  Do  not 
doubt,  our  Church  stands  on  a  roch,  and  the  gates  of  hell,  as 
they  have  not  prevailed,  so  likewise  they  never  shall  prevail 
throughout  eternity,  against  it. 

III.  Peter's  proposition  carried  conviction  to  the  minds  of 
tliose  who  were  assembled  at  Jerusalem ;  and  so  much  the 
more,  since,  in  accordance  with  the  express  command  of  our 
Lord,  the  apostles  were  to  aim,  in  the  first  place,  at  the  con- 
version of  Israel,  and,  following  the  old  chiefs  of  the  twelve 
tribes  as  types,  were  to  form  the  twelve  patriarchs  of  the 
new  and  spiritual  Israel.  It  was  therefore  necessary  that 
their  number  of  tiuelve  should  be  complete.  Paul,  also,  was 
afterwards  an  apostle,  but  not  one  of  the  twelve.  These 
represented  specially  the  Cbii:c'i  v\liich  sprang  from  the  seed 
of  Abraham.  There  was  lik^w  i  m-  involved  in  this  number 
twelve,  a  sublime  promise  for  a  remote  future.  ^loreover, 
Peter  did  not  address  his  speech  merely  to  his  ten  fellow- 
apostles,  but  in  his  "Men  and  brethren"  had  in  his  eye,  all 
the  disciples  who  were  present  in  the  assembly.     They  all. 


238  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

as  an  integral  body,  promoted  to  the  high  office  Joseph 
called  Barsabas,  who  was  surnamed  Justus,  and  Matthias — 
men  who  had,  by  their  approved  piety  and  spiritual  endow- 
ments, shewn  themselves  better  qualified  for  it  than  the  rest. 
Doubtless  both  were  among  the  seventy.  We  likewise  here 
already  see  the  body  of  believers  exercising  ecclesiastical 
functions  as  a  church,  which  they  were  divinely  authorised 
and  called  upon  to  perform  ;  of  course  in  a  regular  manner, 
grounded  on  individual  faith.  After  having  made  this 
appointment,  the  assembly  united  in  prayer  to  God.  "  And 
they  prayed,  and  said,  Thou,  Lord,  ivhich  knoiuest  the  hearts 
of  all  men,  sheiv  luhether  of  these  two  thou  hast  chosen,  that 
he  may  take  part  of  this  ministry  and  apostleship,  from 
•which  Judas  by  transgression  fell,  that  he  might  go  to  his 
own  place."  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  '*  Lord,  who  knew 
the  hearts  of  all  men,"  to  whom  they  addressed  their  prayer, 
was  none  other  than  the  Lord  Jesus,  whom  they  had  like- 
wise already  worshipped  at  the  time  of  His  ascension  ; 
and  there  is  likewise  also  no  doubt  but  that  he  who  can- 
not pray  to  Jesus  has  never  yet  known  Him.  Having 
prayed,  they  cast  lots,  in  humble  acknowledgment  of  their 
circumscribed  powers  ;  for  it  belonged  to  the  dignity  of 
an  ai30stle  that  he  should  have  been  elected  and  set  apart 
immediately  by  the  Lord  himself.  The  lot  fell  upon  Mat- 
thias, and  our  Lord  afterwards  practically  confirmed  that  it 
had  been  "  cast "  in  His  name.  Matthias  perfectly  fulfilled 
his  office  as  an  apostle.  Scripture,  it  is  true,  does  not  relate 
anything  concerning  it.  Tradition  speaks  of  the  success 
which  crowned  his  labours,  first  in  Judea,  and  afterwards 
in  Ethiopia;  from  which  latter  country,  he  entered  the 
"  Church  triumphant "  above,  adorned  w^ith  a  martyr's  crown. 
It  is  true  that  some  recent  commentators  maintain  that  the 
disciples  had  exceeded  their  autliority  in  thus  choosing  an 
apostle ;  that  they  wilfully  anticipated  our  Lord's  appoint- 


THE  TIME  OF  WAITING.  239 

ment,  who  afterwards  refused  to  sanction  that  of  Matthias, 
and  introduced  Paul  in  his  stead,  as  twelfth  in  the  circle  of 
the  apostles.  But  there  is  not  the  slightest  ground  for  such 
an  assertion.  The  sacred  narrative,  on  the  contrary,  repre- 
sents the  act  of  election  as  extremely  solemn  and  sacred, 
and  as  such,  most  certainly,  pleasing  in  tlie  sight  of  God.  It 
is  also  inconceivable  that  our  Lord  should  not  have  responded 
to  the  faithfulness  of  purpose,  and  to  the  humble  submissive 
devotion  with  which  the  disciples  prayerfully  referred  the 
decision  to  Him.  Had  He  refused  to  recognise  it.  He  would 
certainly  have  informed  them  of  it  in  some  manner ;  which, 
however.  He  never  did.  Besides,  we  nowhere  learn  that  when 
Paul  had  subsequently  to  strive  so  much  with  the  Jewish 
Christians  concerning  his  right  to  the  apostleship,  it  ever 
even  occurred  to  him  to  object  to  the  election  of  Matthias, 
and  to  claim  for  himself  to  be  placed  the  twelfth  among  the 
apostles.  He  simply  declares  that,  notwithstanding  the  pre- 
cedence of  the  twelve,  wdio  were  first  ordained  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  likewise  was  an  apos- 
tle, and  that  by  divine  vocation  and  endowment  he  stood 
ojfficially  their  equal. 

Thus,  then,  were  the  vessels  prepared  at  Jerusalem,  into 
which  the  streams  of  the  new  divine  life  could  flow  unim- 
peded. The  number  of  devout  believers  undoubtedly  in- 
creased from  day  to'  day,  and  when  the  day  of  Pentecost 
dawned,  it  may  certainly  be  assumed  that  the  five  hundred 
brethren,  to  whom  our  Lord  manifested  Himself  after  His 
resurrection,  were  amongst  them.  Would  that  the  suscepti- 
bilities of  those  praying  disciples  were  vouchsafed  to  us  also, 
in  our  contemj^lation  of  the  day  of  Pentecost !  Li  that 
assembly  at  Jerusalem,  you  see  nothing  less  than  the  anti- 
type of  those  whom  the  ark  of  Noah  once  bore  so  safely 
across  the  billows  of  the  universal  deluge,  the  former  being 
indeed    immeasurably    more   blessed.     In    it,   you    see   the 


240  THE  TIME  OF  WAITING. 

o-enealo^ical  root  of  tlie  new  Israel  of  God,  which  will  remain 
to  the  end  of  time.  It  is  only  as  we  are  ingrafted  with 
those  who  were  thus  awaiting  the  day  of  Pentecost,  that  we 
shall  ever  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God,  May  the  Lord 
be  pleased  to  bind  us  up  with  them  "in  the  bundle  of  life," 
(1  Sam.  XXV.  29,)  and  graciously  hear  us  when  we  implor- 
ingly cry  with  the  poet — 

"Oh,  touch  our  tongues  with  flame 

When  speaking  Jesus'  name, 
And  lead  us  up  the  heavenward  road  1 

Give  us  the  power  to  pray, 

Teach  us  what  words  to  say, 
Whene'er  we  come  before  our  God. 
0  highest  Good  !  our  spirits  cheer; 
When  raging  foes  are  strong  and  near. 
Give  us  brave  hearts  undimm'd  by  fear. 

"  0  golden  rain  from  heaven 

Thy  precious  dew  be  given 
To  bless  the  churches'  barren  field ! 

And  let  Thy  waters  flow 

Where'er  the  sowers  sow 
The  seed  of  truth,  that  it  may  yield 
A  hundred-fold  its  living  fruit, 
O'er  all  the  land  may  take  deep  root. 
And  mighty  branches  heavenward  shoot." 

Lyra  Germanka. 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  241 


XVIIL 

THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

What  a  glorious  and  sionificant  festival  is  the  feast  of 
Pentecost  !  It  is  the  feast  of  the  union  of  heaven  and 
earth,  the  feast  of  God's  betrothal  with  redeemed  man,  the 
birthday  feast  of  the  New  Testament  Church,  the  harvest 
home  of  those  who  have  been  "  brought  nigh  by  the  blood  of 
Christ/'  What  would  all  the  other  festivals  of  our  Churcli 
be  without  this  one?  They  would  be  only  messengers  ex- 
tolling acts  of  beneficence  in  which  we  ourselves  might  never 
hope  to  share  ;  heralds,  inviting  us  to  a  marriage  supper,  the 
entrance  to  which  we  could  never  find.  Whitsuntide  en- 
ables us  to  enjoy  those  splendours  which  the  other  feasts 
liave  disclosed  to  our  view.  Whitsuntide  brings  to  us  the 
cupbearer,  as  it  were,  who  first  crushes  the  divine  grapes  of 
Christ's  merits  in  the  goblet,  and  presents  it  to  us  as  a 
restorative  draught.  Let  us  therefore  congratulate  our- 
selves upon  the  joyous  harvest-day  of  the  new  covenant,  and 
may  the  Lord  attune  our  souls  to  higher  songs  of  gratitude 
and  ])raise  ! 

The  old  prophets,  and  amongst  their  number,  Isaiah  in 
chap,  xliii.  18,  led  the  world  to  anticipate  by  prophecies  re- 
peated over  and  over  again,  that  tlie  Lord  would  "do  a  now 
thing"  on  the  earth.  That  which  was  then  in  their  mind's 
eye,  w;is  not  merely  in  a  general  manner,  the  founiling  of  a 
new  covenant,  ns  a  covenant  of  grace,  but  more   especially 


242  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

that  wMcli  forms  the  subject  of  our  feast  of  Whitsuntide — 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  with  its  imineasureably  blessed  results. 
In  what  does  this  miracle  consist  ?  What  was  this  event  of 
world-iuide  importance  through  all  time,  which  occurred  at 
Jerusalem  on  that  great  Pentecostal  day  ?  It  is  the  answer 
to  this  question  to  which  we  now  address  ourselves.  The 
Lord  grant  that  we  may  find  the  right  one  ! 

The  signification  of  all  other  Christian  festivals  is  more 
or. less  obvious  to  us  all.  Each  has  its  own  peculiarity  and 
novelty.  If  Christmas  be  the  festival  of  the  manifestation  of 
the  incarnate  God,  the  theme  of  Passion-week  is  "  Christ  hath 
redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse 
for  us."  Good  Friday  fully  relieves  us  from  conscious  guilt 
by  means  of  the  great  Sacrifice.  At  Easter  we  see  Him  "  who 
was  delivered  for  our  offences  raised  again  for  our  justifica- 
tion." On  Ascension-day  He  ascends  as  our  Head  and  Fore- 
runner, to  open  to  us  the  world  of  glory,  to  take  possession 
of  it  on  our  behalf,  and  to  prepare  a  place  for  us  there. 
And  Whitsuntide  ?  You  say  "  at  Whitsuntide  the  Holy 
Ghost  came ! "  Quite  true.  But  did  the  Holy  Spirit  not 
come  till  then  ?  Have  we  not  heard  King  David  say,  "  Take 
not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me  ? "  AVell  then,  wdiat  transpired 
at  Whitsuntide  that  w^as  strictly  new,  and  before  unknown  ? 
That  is  precisely  what  v/e  are  now  about  seriously  to  inquire 
into. 

Acts  ii.  1-13. 

"  And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all  with 
one  accord  in  one  place.  And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven, 
as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were 
sitting.  And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues,  like  as  of  fire,  and 
it  sat  upon  each  of  them.  And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
And  there  were  dwelling  at  Jeri\salem  Jews,  devout  men,  out  of  every 
nation  under  heaven.  Now,  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  the  multitude 
came  together,  and  were  confounded,  because  that  every  man  heard  them 
si>eak  in  his  own  language.     And  they  were  all  amazed,  and  mar\'elled. 


THE  DAY  OF  PEJS'JECOST.  243 

Baying  one  to  another,  P.oliold,  are  not  all  those  which  speak  Galileans? 
And  how  hear  we  every  man  in  our  own  tongue,  wherein  we  were  born  ? 
Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia, 
and  in  Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia,  Phrygia,  and  Pam- 
j.hylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Libya  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of 
I'ome,  Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes,  and  Arabians,  we  do  hear  them  s})eak 
in  our  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God.  And  they  were  all  amazed, 
and  were  in  doubt,  saying  one  to  another,  "What  meaueth  this  ?  Others 
mocking,  said,  Thi^se  men  are  full  of  new  wine." 

This  is  the  history  of  Whitsuntide,  as  wonderful  in  its 
meaning  as  it  is  phiin  and  simple  in  its  description.  It 
reminds  us  of  the  history  of  creation,  and  is  it  not  such 
it.«ic]f  ?  It  informs  us,  indeed,  of  nothing  Jess  than  of  the 
establishment  of  a  new  moral  world.  Come,  let  us  consider 
more  closely  the  history  of  the  entrance  of  the  Holy  Spirit ! 
IIoiu  did  He  enter  ?  and  who  is  He  that  thus  enters  ?  in  what 
sense  may  it  be  said  of  Him,  that  He  came  first  miracidously 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost  ?  And  how  do  we  become  personally 
conscious  of  His  saving  operation  ?  May  the  Lord  grant 
us  the  guidance  of  His  light  and  His  truth,  to  enable  us  to 
solve  these  points. 

I.  Prophetic  annunciations,  pregnant  with  importance, 
hud  been  published  throughout  ages  which  preluded  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  Prophet  after  j^rophet  gave  the  believers  in 
Israel  reason  to  hope  for  a  time  when  the  same  Spirit,  who 
;it  creation  moved  ui)on  the  face  of  the  waters,  should  power- 
fully maiiifest  Himself  on  earth  in  a  manner  j^reviously  un- 
heard of.  John,  the  herald  of  the  Messiah,  spoke  to  those 
who  came  to  be  baptized  with  water  by  him,  of  a  wondrous 
baptism  of  fire  which  w^as  even  then  imminent ;  and  you 
know  full  well  how  repeatedly  and  emphatically  our  Lord 
gave  expression  to  the  promise  of  "  another  Comforter " 
whom  the  Father  would  send  in  His  name.  What  marvel 
is  it  then  that  the  disciples  so  anxiously  expected  the  hour 
^yhen  the  ])ros]»ect  thus  disclosed  to  them  should  be  realised? 


244!  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

On  the  early  morning  of  Sunday,  the  fiftieth  day  after 
Easter,  we  again  visit  Jerusalem  in  quest  of  the  disciples. 
The  holy  city,  swarming  with  strangers  and  pilgrims  from 
far  and  near,  glitters  in  the  festive  garb  of  the  feast  of  first 
fruits.  We  again  find  the  little  flock,  "with  one  accord," 
assembled  in  one  of  the  spacious  halls  of  the  temple  for 
prayer  and  supplication,  intent  but  upon  one  thine/,  and  that 
one  not  of  this  world.  They  all  alike  and  strongly  feel  the 
need  of  preparation  and  endowment  from  above,  without 
being  distinctly  conscious  what  it  was  that  they  thus  needed. 
They  wait — and  wait !  AVhat  occurs?  Though  the  sky  is 
clear  and  cloudless,  a  mysterious  sound,  like  that  of  "  a 
mighty  rushing  wind,"  is  suddenly  heard  over  the  city, 
almost  reminding  us  of  Jehovah's  approach  to  Mount  Sinai 
at  the  giving  of  the  law,  as  described  by  Moses ;  slowly  and 
majestically  it  continues  its  course,  and  whilst  the  people, 
astounded,  rush  out  into  the  streets,  it  approaches  the 
tem23le  on  Mount  Zion,  and,  suddenly  halting  there,  it  filled 
all  the  house  in  which  the  disciples,  met  for  prayer,  were 
sitting.  At  first,  indeed,  they  were  not  a  little  terrified,  but, 
nevertheless,  being  by  this  time  somewhat  versed  in  symbolic 
annunciations,  they  soon  anticipate  what  is  about  to  happen  ; 
and  the  last  doubt  is  entirely  dissipated,  when  the  "  rushing 
mighty  wind"  discharges  a  glittering  shower  of  tongue- 
shaped  flames,  of  which  one  rests  upon  each  of  their  heads; 
and,  at  the  same  moment,  their  hearts  burn  with  a  holy  glow 
of  feeling  such  as  they  never  before  experienced.  With  what 
energy  that  celestial  fire  flashes  through  their  souls !  The 
stream  of  love,  light,  and  joy  that  rushes  into  their  souls 
is  miraculous !  The  narrative  informs  us,  "  They  luere  all 
filled  luith  the  Holy  Ghost;''  and  so  it  was.  With  exultant 
shouts  of  praise  they  respond  to  this  salutation  of  power  and 
blessing,  which  was  the  first  vouchsafed  them  from  their 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  245 

Master  since  His  ascension  to  tlie  right  hand  of  God ;  and 
then,  obeying  an  irresistible  impulse  to  bear  their  testimony, 
they  present  themselves  to  the  crowd  outside,  which,  led  by 
the  mysterious,  whirlwind-like  murmur,  had  followed  it  to 
Mount  Zion,  summoned  as  by  a  celestial  tocsin^  and  there 
stood  without  in  feverish  expectation. 

And  of  what  are  we  next  informed  ?  The  apostles  begin 
to  speak,  and,  with  fervent  inspiration,  declare  to  the  moving 
masses, — to  the  thousands  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  holy 
city,  as  likewise  to  the  pious  foreigners,  jjilgrims  from  all 
parts  of  the  w^orld, — the  "  vjonderful  ivorks  of  God  "  (Acts 
ii.  2)  in  His  plan  of  man's  redemption.  And  in  what  lan- 
guage do  they  proclaim  them  ?  Observe  the  surprise,  nay, 
more,  the  amazement,  with  which  the  multitude  listen  to 
their  words.  They  whisper  to  each  other,  "  Behold,  are  not 
all  these  which  speak  Galileans  ?  And  how  hear  we  every 
man  in  our  own  tongue,  luherein  we  tuere  horn?"  And 
now  they  recount  the  nations  amongst  whom  they  dwell,  and 
their  vernaculars,  and  add,  "  We  do  hear  them  speak  in  our 
tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God."  The  narrative  pro- 
ceeds, "And  they  were  all  amazed,  and  were  in  doubt;" 
i.e.,  they  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  it,  and,  moved  with 
a])prehension,  they  spake  one  to  another,  "  What  meaneth 
this?"  But  some — probably  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem — 
who,  by  reason  of  their  continued  wilful  opposition  to  the 
])0wcr  of  truth,  were  visited  with  hardness  of  heart  as  a 
judgment,  mocked,  saying,  "  These  men  are  full  of  new 
vjine." 

But  did  the  inspired  disciple  really  speak  in  the  tongues 
of  all  the  different  nations  which  are  here  mentioned  ?  How 
can  any  one  still  doubt  it  ?  We  read  that  each  foreigner 
heard  his  own  vernacular  language.  The  Mede  heard 
Median  ;    the  inhabitant  of  Egypt,  Egyptian ;   the  Roman, 


246  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

Latin  ;  the  native  of  Asia  Minor,  Greek.  But  perliaps  it 
was  a  mere  belief  on  their  part  that  they  heard  their  mother 
tongue,  though  it  was  not  actually  spoken.  In  that  case, 
what  here  affects  us  with  astonishment  took  place  in  the 
ears  of  the  hearers,  and  the  miracle  is  only  transferred,  but 
is  not  set  aside.  It  is,  however,  perfectly  evident  that  the 
inspired  narrator  represents  the  miracle  as  having  taken 
place  in  the  mouths  of  the  speakers.  But  how  could  these 
ignorant  fishermen  and  publicans  so  suddenly  clothe  their 
thoughts  in  forms  of  speech  which  they  had  not  only  never 
learned,  but  some  of  which,  at  least,  they  had  never  even 
heard  ?  Truly  it  is  necessary,  in  order  not  to  be  staggered 
at  the  circumstances  reported  here,  to  believe  in  the  existence 
of  a  personal  and  living  God,  ruling  the  universe  in  the  exer- 
cise of  unlimited  power.  But  how  can  any  man  who  is  not 
an  atheist  raise  an  objection  contrary  to  Christ's  express 
assurance,  that,  "  luith  God  all  things  are  possible  1 "  The 
Pentecostal  miracle  of  tongues  is  not  greater  than  all  others, 
but  in  its  effects  it  was  certainly  only  momentary  and  transi- 
tory. At  least,  we  have  no  proof  that  the  discij^les  con- 
tinued to  be  masters  of  all  those  foreign  languages.  To 
what  purpose,  then,  was  this  miracle  ?  In  the  first  place,  it 
attested  the  creative  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  had  now 
come  in  a  manner  which  was  obvious  to  every  one.  Secondly, 
it  served  to  give  a  palpable  demonstration  of  the  fact  that 
barriers  within  which  the  Jews  had  hitherto  been  encircled, 
excluding  the  rest  of  the  world,  were  now  removed,  and  that 
the  time  had  arrived  when  all  nations  should  be  called  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  And,  lastly,  it  was  a  sublime  typical 
representation  of  i\iQ  surrender  of  the  keys  of  the  whole 
world  into  the  hands  of  the  apostles,  and  bore  prophetic  re- 
ference to  the  future  which  so  surely  lay  before  them,  when 
"  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  how,  and  every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory 


THE  DAY  (W  PENTECOST.  247 

of  God  the  Father."  To  this  very  day  wc  have  those  who 
are  akin  in  spirit  to  those  Jewish  libertines  who  made  the 
miracle  wrought  at  Pentecost  a  subject  of  derision  ;  but  they 
cannot  succeed  in  deceiving;  us,  since  by  their  mockery  they 
but  seek  to  hide  their  embittered  anger  and  their  secret 
desi:)air.  They  acutely  feel  the  highly  prophetic  and  sym- 
bolic meaning  of  this  miracle,  and  can  no  longer  conceal 
from  themselves  that  the  very  worst  is  henceforth  most 
certainly  to  be  apprehended  for  the  kingdom  of  the  father 
of  lies,  under  whose  banners  they  serve. 

II.  Thus  the  Holy  Spirit  descended,  under  the  significant 
types  and  figures  of  wind  and  fire  ;  the  former  being  the 
great  purifier  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  latter  the  refining 
and  warming  element.  "  117^0  is  the  Holy  Ghost  V  Let 
us  not  remain  satisfied  with  that  which  the  world  now-a-days, 
in  its  self-inflicted  kindness,  is  wont  to  understand  by  the 
designation  "Holy  Spirit."  The  Holy  Spirit  is  something 
totally  dirlerent  from  what  we  apprehend  by  hallowed  inspir- 
ation. It  is  something  different,  likewise,  from  the  ''spirit 
of  the  Church  ;"  by  which  expression  is  indicated  the  style 
of  thought,  feeling,  and  action  peculiar  to  the  Christian 
Church.  Neither,  likewise,  is  the  being  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
yet  recognised  where  He  is  only  apprehended  as  an  illumin- 
ating and  vivifying  influence  proceeding  from  God.  He  is 
more  than  an  unpersonal  Divine  energy.  Let  us  see  what 
explanation  Holy  Scripture  gives  us  concerning  His  nature. 

As  you  know,  our  Lord  Christ  announced  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  "  another  Comforter,"  who,  sent  from  Him  and  His 
Father,  should,  after  His  return  to  heaven,  supply  His  place 
to  His  disciples, — should  guide  them  into  all  truth, — should 
remind  them  of  all  that  their  Lord  had  declared  to  them, — 
should  convince  them  of  sin  and  of  their  need  of  redemption, 
— should  glorify  Him,  the  fairest  of  the  children  of  men, 
hroudiout  the  world, — and  should  transform  and  renovate 


248  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

everything.  In  the  baptismal  formula  the  King  of  truth 
places  the  Holy  Spirit  side  by  side  with  the  Father  and 
Himself,  the  Son,  as  possessing  equal  authority  and  dignity. 
When  the  apostles  implore  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the 
churches,  they  supplicate  it  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  as  expressly  distin- 
guish the  supreme  Three  from  one  another  as  they  likewise 
expressly  maintain  their  unity.  They  distinguish  no  less 
unequivocally  between  the  Holy  Spirit  and  His  operations 
and  gifts.  Among  other  passages,  we  read,  in  the  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians — "  There  are  diversities  of  gifts, 
hut  the  same  Spirit ;"  and  then  again — "All  these  worketh 
that  one  and  the  self-same  Spirit,  dividing  to  every  rtian 
severally  as  he  luill;"  further — '' The  Spirit  sear cheth  all 
things ;"  in  another  place — ''No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is 
the  Lord,  hut  hy  the  Holy  Ghost;"  and — "  We  know  not 
wliat  lue  should  pray  for  as  we  ought ;  hut  the  Spirit  itself 
maketh  intercession  for  us."  The  Holy  Spirit  is,  then,  pre- 
sented to  us  in  the  Scriptures  as  a  coequal  Divine  Person- 
ality. Only  extreme  blindness  or  wicked  perverseness  can 
disallow  it. 

This  is  the  position  in  which  we  stand  with  reference  to 
the  mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  which  forms  the  basis  of  all 
Christianity.  If,  at  the  first  blush,  here  and  there,  one 
amongst  us  should  recoil  in  surprise,  we  shall  not  be  dis- 
posed hastily  to  rebuke  him  severely,  since  there  is  no  other 
doctrine  of  Scripture  so  utterly  beyond  the  range  of  our 
natural  mental  apprehension.  But  beware  here  of  misappre- 
liension  and  false  interpretation.  Scripture  nowhere  imposes 
on  us  belief  in  that  which  is  contrary  to  reason,  as  would  be 
the  case,  were  they  required,  that  we  should  at  one  and  the 
same  time  believe  one  to  be  three,  and  three  to  be  but  one. 
In  point  of  nunjber,  there  are  indeed  three;  but  again,  in 
essence,  the  three  are  one.     Not  as  if  the  Father  were  a  God, 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  249 

and  t^ie  Son  a  God,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  a  God,  as  though 
tlicre  were  three  different  Gods ;  but  as  thousjh  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Gho.^^t  were  all  God,  i.e.,  of  divine 
essence  and  nature.  But  again,  the  equality  of  tlie  three 
must  not  be  exaggerated.  Although  the  Son  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  are  equal  to  the  Father  in  divine  nature  and  essence, 
the  latter  differs  from  the  other  two  with  regard  to  the 
fatherhood,  since  the  Son  was  begotten  of  the  Father,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  proceeded  from  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
The  three  constitute,  however,  but  one  Triune  God,  not  only 
because  of  the  love  which  unites  them,  but  likewise  by  the 
unity  of  their  majesty,  their  will,  and  their  action.  Our 
world  offers  nothing  properly  analogous  to  this  relation.  In 
order  to  bring  this  subject  nearer  to  human  apprehension, 
we  have  indeed  been  called  upon  to  conceive  of  an  eminently 
gifted  and  highly  intelligent  artist,  who  should  succeed  in 
expressing  and  rendering  visible,  in  an  exquisite  masterpiece, 
all  the  sublime,  the  ideal,  and  the  divinely-beautiful  which 
filled  his  imagination,  and  in  which  his  whole  inspired  soul 
lived  and  moved.  Then  we  might  conceive  this  figure,  on 
issuing  from  the  artist's  hands,  to  be  suddenly  endowed  with 
life,  and  with  the  capability  of  receiving  and  reciprocating 
love.  Were  this  realised  the  great  artist  would  be  visibly 
and  objectively  transferred  into  his  statue  as  into  an  cdter- 
erjo,  a  second  self ;  then  here  again  there  would  be  tiuo,  yet 
only  one.  This  figure  displays  to  us  only  one  aspect  of  the 
truth,  namely,  that  the  eternal  and  all-sufficient  God,  in 
whom  no  mutableness,  but  an  impulse  emanating  from  the 
fulness  of  His  Godhead,  acting  from  all  eternity,  and  before 
creation,  must  have  moved  Him  to  the  self-origination,  as  it 
were,  of  a  second  self  :  He  reproduced  His  own  image  as  the 
only  worthy  object  of  His  love  and  His  complacency,  whom 
He  essentially  and  practically  endowed  with  His  own  ador- 
able attributes ;  and  this  personal  reflection  of  the  Divine 


250  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

glory  is  the  only-begotten  Son.  There  is,  however,  nothing 
sublunary  that  corresponds  witli  the  procession  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  from  the  Father  and  tlie  Son,  since  His  personality  is 
co-equal.  Thus,  then,  the  Holy  Trinity,  though  involving 
nothing  contradictory  in  itself,  remains  an  inscrutable  mys- 
tery to  human  apprehension,  (I  do  not  say  to  our  experience.) 
It  has,  however,  been  revealed  to  us  by  God  the  Holy  Ghost 
himself,  whose  province  it  is  to  discover  ''  the  deep  things  of 
God."  It  was  not,  however,  announced  to  us  in  order  that 
we  might  speculate  about  it  idly,  and  with  no  definite  result, 
but  that  we  might  profit  by  it  to  our  salvation.  It  is 
enough  that  we,  enlightened  by  the  operation  of  the  Spint, 
believingly  embrace  the  Son  as  poor  sinners,  and  come  to  the 
Father  through  the  Son.  I  will  just  observe,  in  passing,  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  of  the  Godhead  is  not  only  dimly 
foreshadowed  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  is  to  be  met  with, 
though  in  a  corrupted  form,  in  the  theological  systems  of  all 
the  ancient  nations.  Doubtless,  this  doctrine  was  amongst 
the  primary  divine  revelations  which,  though  corrupted  and 
masked  by  sin,  were,  in  Christ,  restored  to  their  original 
purity. 

But  how  can  it  be  said  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  He  came 
first  on  the  day  of  Pentecost?  Was  it  not  He  who,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  Himself  evinced  His  power  as 
the  medium  of  God's  revelations  to  man,  equipping  and 
arming  the  heroes  of  Israel,  enlightening  and  pervading  the 
minds  of  the  old  Jewish  prophets,  so  that  it  could  be  said  of 
them,  "They  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost/' 
Yes,  indeed  !  But,  nevertheless,  we  hear  the  apostle  John 
say,  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  his  Gospel,  "  The  Holy  Ghost 
was  not  yet  given,  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified." 
The  question  will  then  naturally  arise,  whether  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  operated  under  the  old  covenant,  was  not 
essentially  another  from  Him  who  made  His  solemn  entry 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  251 

ainongst  us  on  the  cLay  of  Pentecost  ?  But  this  question  we 
must  decidedly  answer  in  the  negative.  He  was  the  same 
Spirit,  and  only  entered  into  more  intimate,  cordial,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  more  encro-etic  connexion  with  the  redeemed 
world  of  sinners,  after  Christ  had  matured  His  work  of 
mediation ;  and  we  are  as  fully  justified  in  saying  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  first  came  to  us  at  the  Feast  of  Pentecost,  as  we 
are  in  saying  we  only  admit  of  Christ's  advent  upon  earth 
having  taken  place  when  He  was  born  in  human  form, 
though  previously,  in  the  days  of  the  old  covenant,  the  Son 
of  God  had  appeared  upon  earth.  According  to  divine 
appointment,  made  in  the  exercise  of  divine  sovereignty,  He 
then  only  first  came  to  fix  His  abode  2^6rmanentli/  with  us 
in  the  character  of  King  in  Zion.  Whereas  in  the  old  cove- 
nant He  appeared  rather  as  the  Advocate  of  God  with  men, 
He  appears  in  the  new  as  the  Advocate  of  redeemed  humanity 
with  God.  If,  under  the  former  dispensation,  it  was  pecu- 
liarly His  province  to  found  the  kingdom  of  light  and  truth 
in  all  its  length  and  breadth,  it  has,  under  the  latter  dispen- 
sation, been  more  esjDecially  His  to  mould,  seal,  and  protect 
each  individual  of  those  who  had  been  bought  with  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.  Though  His  primary  and  leading 
motive  was,  so  to  speak,  the  Father's  decree  and  plan  of 
government,  yet  is  He  now  mainly  moved  by  love  to  us,  in 
whom  the  divine  counsels  of  peace  have,  through  Christ,  been 
consummated.  Just  as  the  training  of  man  for  that  salva- 
tion which  was  about  to  be  introduced,  was  that  which  He 
then  had  most  at  heart,  so  noiu  does  He  exert  Himself  in 
imparting  to  a  sinful  world  all  the  fulness  of  that  salvation 
which  Christ  by  mediation  has  obtained.  How  great  and 
manifold  were  the  things  denied  to  believers  in  the  days  of 
the  law  !  Their  consciences  had  not  even  been  quickened. 
And  still  less  was  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  fully 
realised  by  them,  but  rather  dimly  perceived.     As  yet  they 


252  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

could  not  with  full  conviction  say  with  the  apostle,  "The 
love  of  Christ  constiaineth  us,  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if 
one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead."  Confiding  prayer  in 
"  the  name  of  Jesus "'  was  not  yet  practised  by  them.  Even 
the  holy  of  holies  was  yet  hidden  behind  a  thick  veil,  and 
tlie  way  to  it  was  "  not  yet  made  manifest,"  (Heb.  ix.  8.) 
And  how  far  they  were  from  being  able  to  testify,  as  Paul 
afterwards  did — "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  hut  Christ  liveth  in  me." 
The  Holy  Ghost  was  "not  yet  given"  to  accomplish  so 
creative  and  thorough  a  work  of  redemption  in  the  inmost 
soul  of  man.  Not  until  the  great  Sacrifice  had  been  offered 
on  the  altar  of  the  cross,  and  Christ  had  been  glorified,  did 
this  effectual,  regenerating,  and  renewing  work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  begin.  It  had  now  not  only  become  possible,  but  it 
was  likewise  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  divine  decrees, 
that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  should  essentially  glorify  Christ  in 
Christ's  members,  and  make  them  share  the  nature  of  the 
Son  of  God.  If  you  desire  to  render  the  difference  of  the 
Spirit's  working  under  the  law  and  under  the  gospel  obvious, 
compare  characters  such  as  Moses,  Elijah,  or  even  David, 
with  John,  Peter,  or  Paul.  All  these  men  are  consj^icuous 
for  their  piety  as  men  "after  God's  own  heart,"  and  yet  how 
different  is  the  stamp  they  bear.  There  is  discoverable  in 
the  latter  class  an  inner  life,  holier,  and  more  deeply  rooted 
in  God,  whilst  at  the  same  time  more  full  and  solid,  than  in 
the  former.  You  immediately  feel  that  what  our  Lord  said 
with  regard  to  His  redeemed  ones,  could  in  no  wise  be 
applied  to  the  Old  Testament  believers — ''He  that  helieveth 
on  me,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water." 
"  This,"  adds  the  evangelist,  at  this  passage,  "  spake  he  of 
the  Spirit,  tvhich  they  that  believe  on  him  should  receive ; 
for  the  Holy  Ghost  luas  not  yet  given."  It  will  also  now  be 
evident  to  you  what  our  Lord's  meaning  was,  when  He,  in 
reply  to  the  question  of  the  two  "sons  of  thunder'' — "Lord, 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  253 

wilt  thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven, 
and  consume  the  ungrateful  Samaritans?" — rebuked  them 
in  these  terms  :  "  Ye  know  not  luJiat  manner  of  spirit  ye 
are  of." 

III.  Thus  much  with  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
His  entrance  into  the  world  at  the  feast  of  Pentecost !  You 
will  now  desire  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  His  practical 
manifestations  in  human  life,  and  to  learn  how  we  may- 
become  personally  conscious  of  His  operations.  You  know 
that  His  luondrous  works  are  very  namerous.  We  will, 
however,  specify  but  three,  of  which  the  two  first  already 
belong  to  history,  but  the  third  continues  uninterruptedly  to 
the  present  hour.  I  put,  in  the  first  place,  the  production 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  origination  of  the  Word  of  God. 
What  a  structure  is  here  presented  to  us !  More  than  a 
thousand  years  elapsed  before  its  completion  ;  and  yet  what 
unity  there  is  in  the  'plan  on  which  it  is  based,  in  the  spirit 
which  pervades  it,  and  in  the  thoughts,  views,  and  doctrines 
which  are  treasured  up  in  it !  If  we  only  enter  upon  the 
study  of  it  calmly  and  collectedly,  we  shall  soon  feel  com- 
pelled to  exclaim  with  the  patriarch,  "  How  dreadful  is  this 
place !  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is 
the  gate  of  heaven  ! ''  We  are  here  withdrawn  from  all  the 
lower  spheres  of  life,  an  i  breathe  an  atmosphere  which  meets 
us  nowhere  else.  With  what  solemnity  does  it  impress  us  ! 
We  feel  ourselves  within  the  precincts  of  a  temple,  and  near 
the  throne  of  God.  And  now  let  us  interrogate  this  won- 
drous book  on  all  the  questions  of  vital  importance  to 
humanity,  let  us  listen  to  its  solutions,  which  are  calculated 
as  much  to  enlighten  the  mind  as  to  pacify  the  heart !  Whence 
is  the  universe?  "  God  created  it  out  of  nothing."  Whence 
is  sin  ?  "  Man,  though  created  sinless  and  free,  fell  by  his 
own  fault."  Whence  came  the  misery  that  is  in  the  world  ? 
"Sin   has  begotten   it."     What  is    the    original  destiny   of 


254  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

man  ?  "  Likeness  to  God.''  But  how  can  sinful  man  attain 
to  this  ?  "  God  has  helped  and  helps  us  still,  because  He  is 
a  living  God,  and  love  itself."  But  how  has  He  helped  in 
times  past  ?  how  does  He  help  now  ?  "  He  sent  a  Mediator 
and  the  spirit  of  regeneration."  What  is  the  issue  and  end 
of  the  regenerate  ?  "  They  change  the  ijilgrim  garb  of  this 
mortal  body  for  a  robe  of  heavenly  glory."  Traverse  the 
whole  world,  and  knock  at  the  doors  of  all  the  schools  of 
philosophy,  and  where  will  you  meet  a  solution  of  any  one  of 
those  great  problems  which  so  perfectly  satisfies  both  head 
and  heart  as  is  conveyed  to  you  in  this  sacred  Word  ?  No- 
where !  And  is  this  Vv^ord  man's  composition  ?  Shall  it  be 
held  to  be  a  production  of  that  people  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  of  so  little  repute  in  the  world,  so  far  surpassed  both 
in  science  and  art  by  the  Greeks  and  the  Eomans  ;  and, 
moreover,  naturally  so  foolish,  so  obstinate,  and  so  constantly 
prone  to  idolatry  ?  Impossible  !  From  whatever  aspect  you 
may  regard  the  Bible,  it  ever  l^ears  the  stamp  of  God's  Word 
in  itself,  palpably  and  obviously.  It  is  a  w^ork  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  and  those  who  have  uttered  or  written  the  word,  all 
testify  with  the  apostle  in  perfect  heartfelt  truth  :  "  We  have 
received,  not  the  spirit  of  the  loorld,  but  the  Spirit  luhich  is 
of  God;  that  we  might  knoiu  the  things  tvhich  are  freely 
given  us  of  God.  Which  things  also  lue  speak,  not  in  the 
words  which  mans  wisdom  teach eth,  hut  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  teacheth;  comparing  {i.e.,  judging  and  explaining) 
spiritual  things  with  spiritual.'' 

If  you  desire  me  to  shew  you  another  miraculous  work  of 
the  Spirit,  look  at  the  multitude  of  disciples  after  the  feast 
of  Pentecost,  and  compare  the  condition  in  which  they  once 
met  you.  Even  on  the  day  of  His  ascension  they  were  but 
as  mere  children  in  understanding,  full  of  foolish  thoughts 
as  to  their  Master's  real  plan,  and  likewise  concerning  their 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  255 

own  vocation ;  and,  moreover,  how  dependent  they  were ; 
how  utterly  spiritless.  Humanly  speaking,  hardly  anything 
could  be  expected  from  them.  But  look  once  more  upon 
these  poor  fishermen  and  publicans  after  they  have  received 
the  Pentecostal  baptism.  Do  you  recognise  them?  There 
they  stand,  beacons  to  the  world,  pillars  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  more  intelligent  than  the  greatest  of  those  whom  this 
world  calls  wise,  more  intrepid  than  the  boldest  heroes  of 
■whom  history  makes  mention.  Animated  by  a  loftier  sj^irit, 
tliey  win  over  to  the  banner  of  the  cross  those  who  were 
most  opposed.  They  were  stimulated  and  imi^elled  by  such 
love,  devotedness,  and  such  contempt  of  the  world  and  of 
death,  as  had  never  before  been  seen  on  earth.  And  is  this 
sudden  transformation  to  be  accounted  for  as  the  eftect  of 
natural  causes?  The  apostles  are  ''miracles,"  just  as  the 
prophets  were  once  so  called  in  the  Old  Testament.  They 
laud  the  creative  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  they  have 
within  them,  and  with  all  that  they  possess,  and  are  His 
living  monuments  and  instruments  recognisable  from  afar 

But  our  necessities  are  not  provided  for  by  the  mere  con- 
templation and  recognition  of  the  operations  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  We  must  be  personally  conscious  of  His  wondrous 
operations  within  us.  The  Holy  Ghost  must  meet  us  in  the 
little  laboratory  of  our  own  heart.  And  can  that  be?  It 
can  and  must !  Hear  what  the  apostle  says — "  We  have 
received,  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  of  God." 
Blessed  Paul  I  Would  that  we  all  were  able  to  boast  the 
same !  By  nature  we  have  the  spirit  of  the  world,  which  is 
nothing  less  than  the  innate  and  natural  mode  of  thought, 
feeling,  judgment,  and  action  by  which  one  may  indeed,  as 
measured  by  the  standard  of  the  world,  be  perfectly  moral, 
true  to  duty,  and  accomplished ;  but  we  want  that  faculty 
fur  the  apprehension  of   divine  things,  that  sanctified  in- 


256  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

terior,  nay,  all  that  is  termed  in  Scripture,  "  The  hidden 
man  of  the  heart,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great 
price!'  The  head  is  full  of  error,  the  heart  overgrown  with 
the  weeds  of  evil  passions,  the  conscience  slumbers,  and  the 
will  is  enslaved  by  the  flesh.  A  man  in  this  state  does 
nothinp^  from  pure  love  to  God,  and  yet  will  not  even  hear  of 
the  estrangement  from  God  in  which  he  is  living ;  he  has  no 
conception  of  the  holiness  of  God's  nature  and  will,  and 
really  understands  nothing  of  God's  Word.  He  misinterprets 
Peter's  exclamation,  "Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons  ;  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth 
him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with  him."  The 
divine  tribunal  excites  no  fear,  because  he  imagines  God 
will  not  1.0  strict  to  mark  iniquity.  He  indulges  in  anger, 
he  hates,  he  envies,  he  is  covetous  of  all  vain  glory,  he 
idolises  mammon,  he  follows  his  own  fleshly  lusts  ;  and  yet 
it  does  not  occur  to  him  to  condemn  himself  for  it,  nor 
does  it  even  weigh  upon  his  conscience.  These  are  the 
features  that  characterise  the  man  in  whom  no  other  spirit 
has  yet  ruled  save  the  natural  one,  the  spirit  of  this  world. 
If  you  are  still  such  a  one,  even  before  you  are  aware  of  it, 
a  most  wonderful  change  may  take  place  in  you.  Where- 
ever  and  whenever  it  may  happen,  whether  whilst  you  are 
reading  or  hearing  God's  Word,  or  during  heavy  trials,  or 
aught  else  which  may  befall  you,  a  light  suddenly  bursts 
upon  you,  as  if  scales  fell  from  your  eyes.  That  which  in 
yourself  you  once  held  to  be  a  mere  failing,  appears  as  sin 
worthy  of  punishment ;  your  good  deeds,  as  fruits  matured 
by  selfism  ;  your  life,  hitherto  as  one,  which  even  if  it 
has  not  been  squandered  in  mere  inanities,  has  at  least 
only  been  exhausted  upon  self ;  and  your  hope  of  an  antici- 
pated favourable  sentence  from  the  world's  great  Judge,  as 
an  unfounded  imagination  of   your   own  infatuated  mind. 


THii  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  257 

You  discover  that  you  have  hitherto  lived  without  fellowship 
with  God.  A  silent  and  ever-increasing  sorrow  gradually 
overspreads  your  mind.  You  begin  to  long  for  grace,  for  a 
filial  relationship  towards  God,  for  release  from  the  bonds 
with  which  you  are  fettered ;  and  the  same  sigh  will  escape 
your  soul  as  did  that  of  Paul  when  he  exclaimed,  "Oh 
wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death  ? "  Then  gradually  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
rises  before  your  soul  in  a  light  in  which  you  never  beheld 
Him.  "Yes,''  exclaims  your  heart,  panting  for  salvation, 
"  Thou  art  He  !  Thou  art  my  Helper,  my  Redeemer,  and 
my  only  Saviour !  "  With  earnest  longing  you  incline  to 
Him,  and  confidingly  surrender  yourself  to  Him.  Pre- 
viously you  had  not  the  slightest  conception  of  what  you 
now  experience.  It  belongs  to  a  region  which  is  closely 
veiled  to  the  natural  eye,  and  personal  experience  alone  can 
disclose  its  mysteries.  The  assurance  becomes  ever  more 
and  more  vivid  that  the  Man  of  Sorrows  whom  you  behold 
is  your  Helper,  your  Saviour.  You  now  understand  Him ; 
you  understand  His  invitation,  "  Gome  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  ivill  give  you  rest." 
AVith  unlimited  confidence  you  cast  yourself  with  all  your 
cares  upon  Him.  And  what  is  the  consequence  ?  By  the 
l)0wer  of  His  mediation,  and  relying  upon  His  unfailing 
assurance,  you  now  look  up  to  a  reconciled  God,  and  a  new 
life  springs  up  within  you  ;  a  life  of  love  to  God  ;  of  freedom 
from  tlie  slavery  of  sin,  of  recovery  from  the  old  blindness,  of 
heavenward  progress  in  tlie  strength  of  those  most  sure  and 
blessed  hopes  which  have  been  vouchsafed  you.  And  this 
all-pervading  change  which  you  experience,  is  the  work  of 
tlie  Holy  Spirit  in  the  microcosm  of  your  heart.  You  have 
begun  to  keep  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  and  now  continue 
unceasingly  to  celebrate  it,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  ever  abides 

E 


258  THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 

upon  you,  nay,  even  dwells  luithin  you,  sustaining,  admonish 
ing,  and  warning,  stimulating  to  all  that  is  good,  and  raising 
you  above  yourself. 

All  we  who  have  been  born  in  the  lap  of  Christianity,  and 
have  received  baptism,  have  been,  in  greater  or  less  degree, 
moved  and  breathed  upon  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Without 
being  conscious  of  it,  we  owe  much  to  the  Spirit ;  especially 
a  keener  moral  consciousness  than  that  which  dwells  within 
the  most  enlightened  heathen,  and  more  correct  ideas  of  man's 
dignity,  and  of  his  higher  destiny.  But  this  does  not  enable 
us  to  boast  the  possession  of  any  of  His  gifts.  He  himself 
must  dwell  within  us,  and  penetrate  our  whole  inner  man 
with  His  regenerating  and  renewing  power.  We  must  be 
able  to  say  with  the  apostle,  "  We  have  received,  not  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  hut  the  Sjnrit  ivhich  is  of  God ;  that  we 
might  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God." 
If  we  have  attained  this,  we  may  joyfully,  on  the  ground  of 
present  living  experience,  make  the  other  raying  of  the 
apostle  our  own,  "Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  tilings  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him'' 

May,  then,  for  us  a  true  feast  of  Pentecost  be  rung  in  !  ^  I 
call  upon  you,  my  friends,  to  sound,  by  means  of  prayer,  the 
chimes  of  salvation  and  of  bliss.  Let  us  from  our  deepest, 
inmost  soul  unite  in  the  fervent  utterance  of  the  sacred 
poet : — 

"Thou  fieiy  glow  of  Love  ! 

Let  us  Thy  ardours  prove, 
Consume  our  hearts  with  quenchless  fire ! 

Come,  0  Thou  trackless  Wind  ! 

Breathe  gently  o'er  oui-  mind; 
Let  not  the  flesh  to  rule  aspire ; 
Help  us  our  free-born  right  to  take. 
The  heavy  yoke  of  sin  to  break, 
And  all  her  tempting  paths  forsake. 


THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST.  250 

■'  Be  it  thine  to  stir  our  will  ; 

Our  good  intents  fulfil; 
Be  with  us  when  we  go  and  come; 

Deep  in  our  spirits  dwell, 

And  make  their  inmost  cell 
Thy  temple  pure,  Thy  holy  home  f 
Teach  us  to  know  our  Lord,  that  we 
May  call  His  Father  ours  through  Thee, 
Thou  pledge  of  glories  yet  to  be  !  " 

Schmolck,  1115.— Lyra  Oermanica. 


260  THE  ADDKESS  AT  THE  JBEA«T  OE  PEiNTECOST. 


XIX. 

THE  ADDEESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

"  We  are  labourers  together  with  God,''  says  the  apostle,  (1 
Cor.  iii.  9,)  and  he  is  fully  conscious  of  the  high  dignity 
which  he  hereby  confers  on  himself  and  his  fellow-disciples. 
How  elevating  is  the  thought  to  act  as  a  co-worker  with  the 
Lord  of  the  universe,  to  share  in  His  interests,  and  to  sub- 
serve His  plan  of  government !  This  expands  the  whole 
soul,  and  affords  an  inward  satisfaction  complete  in  itself. 
The  secret  dissatisfaction  which  so  frequently  steals  upon 
millions  of  mortals,  and  seizes  their  souls  most  forcibly  wheu 
they  retire  from  the  whirl  of  dissipation  into  solitude  and 
quiet,  has  in  the  majority  of  instances  its  real  foundation  in 
the  feeling,  though  possibly  not  recognised,  that  they,  when 
closely  scanned,  are  aimless  in  life,  or  are  pursuing  an  end 
unworthy  of  the  dignity  and  true  destiny  of  man.  Many 
have  this  source  of  uneasiness  aggravated  by  the  mournful 
accusation  of  conscience,  that  they  not  only  have  occu23ied 
themselves  with  the  merest  trifles,  but  that  they  have  striven 
with  all  their  might  against  God :  by  word  and  deed  they 
have  destroyed  where  God  built,  and,  in  opposition  to  Him, 
would  either  have  suspended  His  sacred  purpose,  or,  if  pos- 
sible, would  have  frustrated  it.  How  much  are  these  men 
to  be  commiserated  who  wilfully  prepare  for  themselves  a 
secret  hell  already  here  on  earth,  Avhilst  they  might  have 
rejoiced  in  a  foretaste  of  heavenly  peace  had  they  but  taken 


THE  ADDEESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST.  261 

part  in  the  plans  of  the  Almighty, — of  which  the  issues  are 
certain, — and  had  they  but  associated  witli  His  labourers  in 
constructing  the  bnhvarks  of  His  spiritual  Zion ! 

There  is  no  greater  cause  of  satisfaction  than  to  know  that 
we  are  ''labourers  tor/ether  with  God,"  however  great  our 
weakness  may  be.  It  compensates  for  all  that  we  may  inci- 
dentally lose  ;  for  it  has  associated  with  it  that  which  abun- 
dantly indemnifies  us — the  elevating  consciousness  that  we 
fill  in  society  a  position  in  some  measure  worthy  of  our  being, 
and  do  not  exist  as  mere  parasitical  plants  hanging  on  the 
bouf;:hs  of  humanity,  having  to  anticipate  a  sentence  similar 
to  that  passed  upon  the  fig-tree  in  the  Gospel  parable,  which, 
^liough  boasting  luxuriant  foliage,  remained  year  after  year 
without  rendering  the  fruit  which  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard 
sought,  and  concerning  which  He  said  ultimately,  "  Cut  it 
down  ;  luhij  cumhereth  it  the  ground  ? " 

In  the  following  scripture  we  shall  meet  with  a  labourer 
together  with  God,  whom  we  may  not  indeed  expect  to  rival. 
But  the  Lord  looks  at  the  sincerity  of  our  purpose  and  effort, 
without  reference  to  its  amount ;  and  the  results  lie  in  His 
hand,  not  in  ours. 

Acts  ii.  14-41. 
"  But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  said 
unto  them,  Ye  men  of  Judea,  and  all  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  be  this 
known  imto  you,  and  hearken  to  my  words  :  for  these  are  not  di'unken,  as 
ye  suppose,  seeing  it  is  but  the  third  hour  of  the  day.  But  this  is  that 
which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel :  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the 
last  days,  (saith  God,)  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  :  and  your 
sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your  young  men  shall  see 
visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams  :  and  on  my  servants,  and  on 
my  handmaidens,  I  will  pour  out  in  those  days  of  my  Spirit ;  and  they  shall 
prophesy  :  and  I  will  shew  wonders  in  heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the  earth 
beneath ;  blood,  and  fire,  and  vapour  of  smoke  :  the  sun  shall  be  turned  into 
darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  that  great  and  notable  day  of  the 
Lord  come  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.  Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words; 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  aftproved  of  God  among  you  by  miracles,  and 


"32  THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

wonders,  and  signs,  whicli  God  did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  ye  your- 
selves also  know  :  him,  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have  crucified 
and  slain  ;  whom  God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of  death : 
because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden  of  it.  For  David 
speaketh  concerning  him,  I  foresaw  the  Lord  always  before  my  face ;  for 
he  is  on  my  right  hand,  that  I  should  not  be  moved  :  therefore  did  my 
heart  rejoice,  and  my  tongue  was  glad ;  moreover  also,  my  flesh  shall  rest 
in  hope  :  becaitse  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt  thou 
suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.  Thou  hast  made  known  to  me 
the  ways  of  life ;  thou  shalt  make  me  full  of  joy  with  thy  countenance. 
Men  and  brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  unto  you  of  the  patriarch  David, 
that  he  is  both  dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  unto  this  day. 
Therefore  being  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that  God  had  sworn  with  an  oath 
to  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins,  according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  raise 
up  Christ  to  sit  on  his  throne ;  he,  seeing  this  before,  spake  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  that  his  sovil  was  not  left  in  hell,  neither  his  flesh  did  see 
corruption.  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  vip,  whereof  vre  all  are  witnesses. 
Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having  received  of 
the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this,  which 
ye  now  see  and  hear.  For  David  is  not  ascended  mto  the  heavens  :  but  he 
saith  himself,  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 
until  I  make  thy  foes  thy  footstool.  Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel 
know  assuredly,  that  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus,  whom  ye  have 
crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ.  Now,  when  they  heard  this,  they  were 
pricked  in  their  heart,  and  said  unto  Peter,  and  to  the  rest  of  the  apostles. 
Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?  Then  Peter  said  unto  them,  Repent, 
and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  pro- 
mise is  unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call.  And  with  many  other  words  did  he 
testify  and  exhort,  saying.  Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation. 
Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were  baptized  :  and  the  same  day 
there  were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls." 


Our  feast-days  and  Sundays  are  the  lights  of  the  year,  the 
greater  and  the  lesser  lights  to  rule  the  day  and  the  night. 
How  dismal  would  the  year  be  without  them  1  How  sombre 
and  desolate  our  life,  if  the  starry  heaven  of  these  festal  days 
did  not  illuminate  it  with  its  splendour !  Whitsuntide  is  one 
f  f  tlip  most  glorious  of  these  feasts — the  memorial  of  a  new 


THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST.  263 

creation,  wliicb,  tliougli  indeed  spiritual,  will  one  day  obtain 
a  splendid  embodiment.  The  Creator  is  the  Holy  Ghost. 
^Ye  have  already  heard  much  of  His  nature  and  of  His  opera- 
tions. Of  tlie  latter  we  shall  learn  more  whilst  meditatino- 
upon  the  address  of  the  apostle  Peter  at  the  feast  of  Pentecost. 
Let  us  look  first  at  the  contents  of  it,  and  then  at  its  results. 
May  the  precious  Comforter  witness  to  us  of  Himself  during 
our  meditation ! 

I.  Tlie  scene  is  now  laid  at  Jerusalem,  hard  by  the  temple. 
A  multitude,  so  numerous  that  it  extended  further  than  the 
eye  could  reach,  is  in  motion,  excited  to  the  utmost.  In 
front  is  Peter,  the  fisherman,  a  man  who  in  time  j^ast  had 
greatly  erred,  and  who  at  the  outset  had  comprehended  but 
little  of  His  Lord's  work,  and  of  the  aim  of  His  mission.  It 
might  have  puzzled  him  for  a  long  while  to  tell  why  he  spe- 
cially had  received  the  surname  of  ''Cephas,"  that  is,  "Eock." 
But  our  Lord  had  from  the  beginning  recognised  the  sturdy 
manliness  of  his  character,  which  only  needed  regeneration 
and  sanctification,  and  wisely  adjudged  him,  therefore,  to  be 
the  first  to  be  exposed  to  the  refining  fire  in  the  palace  of 
the  high  priest,  and,  as  we  are  accustomed  to  say,  "  to  be 
proved  there."  Now  his  naturally  decided  character  had. 
received  divine  consecration.  He  steps  firmly,  boldly,  and 
confidently  forth  from  the  circle  of  the  apostles,  and  raises 
his  voice  like  a  trumpet.  Look  well  at  the  texture  of  his 
speech,  truly  worthy  of  admiration  as  a  logical  masterpiece, 
marvellous  in  a  man  who  had  never  had  the  advantages  of 
worldly  culture,  but  who  by  his  dexterity  in  weaving  it  made 
his  Master's  words  true — viz.,  "  from  henceforth  thou  shalt 
catch  men."  The  Holy  Ghost  teaches  the  best  system  of  logic 
and  dialectics,  and  furnishes  His  heralds  and  interpreters, 
not  only  with  the  subject  of  their  proclamations,  but  likewise 
with  the  most  suitable  and  corresponding  forni  of  expression. 
In  order  to  obtain  a  liearing,  Peter  commences  his  address 


26^  THE  ADDEESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

in  a  conciliatory  strain,  and,  after  having  greeted  the  thous- 
ands before  him  as  Jewish  brethren,  he  introduces  the  speech 
with  the  request,  "  Hear  these  words  /"  You  remember  how 
he  used  violently  to  resent  the  least  thing  by  which  he  felt 
himself  annoyed.  How  at  that  time  he  could  have  launched 
forth  against  that  band  of  scoffers  who  had  dared  to  accuse 
not  only  himself,  but  all  those  who  had  been  baptized  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  of  drunkenness.  But  now,  however,  there 
does  not  escape  liim  one  single  word  either  of  rebuke  or  me- 
nace. On  the  contrary,  he  is  now  so  far  master  of  himself, 
that  he  limits  himself  to  repudiate  the  noisy,  senseless  imputa- 
tion, by  the  simple  remark,  that  it  was  but  the  third  hour  of 
the  day,  i.e.,  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  no  one  would 
think  of  drinking  wine  "  No,"  says  he,  "  drunkenness  is  on 
this  occasion  wholly  out  of  the  question.  That  which  you 
have  just  witnessed  is  totally  different.  It  is  that  which 
your  great  prophets  have  repeatedly  and  most  unequivocally 
announced."  And  after  having  said  this,  he  recalls  the 
prophecy  of  Joel,  a  seer  well  knov/n  and  highly  esteemed 
by  all  the  Israelites:  ''It  shall  come  to  jjass  in  the  last 
days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  my  Holy  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh,"  &c. 

The  term  latter,  or  " last  days''  as  used  in  Scripture, 
means  the  closing  period  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth, 
and  of  the  present  dispensation.  According  to  the  views 
and  representations  developed  in  Scripture,  this  latter  dis- 
pensation commences  with  Christ's  appearance,  and  esjDecially 
upon  the  completion  of  His  work  of  redemption,  in  the  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Whitsuntide ;  because  after 
that  the  longing  of  the  world  was  set  at  rest  by  Christ's 
advent,  provided  it  will  appropriate  that  which  has  been 
done  and  accomplished  for  it.  Again,  this  latter  dispensation 
is  brought  to  its  close  by  the  second  coming  of  Christ  to 
judgment ;  and  in  the  creation  of  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 


THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST.  2(*5 

earth,  ''these  latter  and  last  days''  have  already  extended 
throiiuli  a  cycle  of  eighteen  centuries,  and  that  which  awaits 
mankind  in  its  future  experience  will  absorb  the  interval 
between  the  present  time  and  its  end.  Nothinpr  essentially 
new  will  ever  again  happen  under  the  sun ;  all  that  we  have 
in  prospect,  that  is  either  great  or  glorious,  is  but  the  deve- 
lopment and  sequence  of  that  which  is  already  in  j^rogress. 
The  kingdom  of  God  has  been  established  once  for  all,  and 
is  now,  by  strife  and  victory,  only  becoming  more  and  more 
fully  developed  until  it  shall  attain  its  final   completion. 

Thus  in  the  Bible-perspective,  the  beginning  and  the  end, 
are  often  brought  into  juxtaposition,  even  though  thousands 
of  years  may  lie  between  them.  Both  the  prophet  Joel  and 
the  apostle  Peter,  when  announcing  the  miracle  at  the  feast 
of  Pentecost,  connect  with  it  allusions  to  the  "great  and 
terrible  day  of  the  Lord,^'  when,  amidst  wonders  in  heaven 
above  and  signs  in  the  earth  beneath,  with  other  terrific 
phenomena,  final  judgment  will  be  pronounced  on  man. 

When  Peter  Ijad  declared  to  the  people,  "  That  which  you 
now  see  and  hear  is  what  was  foretold  by  the  prophet  Joel," 
he  literally  repeats  the  words  of  this  prophet :  "  And  it 
shall  come  to  j)ass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  ivill  pour 
Old  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh ;  and  your  sons  and  your 
daug] iters  shall  p)rop]iesy,  and  your  young  men  shall  see 
visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams :  and  on  my 
servants  and  on  my  handmaidens  I  ivill  pour  out  in  those 
days  of  my  Spirit,  and  they  shall  p>ro2)hesy."  And  to  these 
words,  which  lead  all  to  expect  in  their  share  of  the  jDromised 
divine  blessing,  together  with  the  removal  of  all  barriers  and 
walls  of  23artition,  whether  of  age  or  condition,  perfect 
equality  likewise,  the  prophet  adds,  now  that  the  future  lies 
unveiled  before  his  spiritual  vision,  the  following  fearful 
words:  "And  I  ivill  shew  wonders  in  heaven  above,  and 
signs  in  the  earth  beneath  ;   blond,  and   fire,  and  vapour  of 


266  THE  ADDEESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

smoke :  the  sun  shall  he  turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon 
into  blood,  before  that  great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord 
come."  Deeply  agitated,  the  surrounding  crowd  listen  to  these 
])rophetic  words.  But  the  speaker  does  not  conceal  from 
them  that  which  is  added  to  the  prophetic,  but  at  the  right 
moment  exclaims,  with  heightened  emphasis,  "And  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  saved." 

In  this  last  passage,  Peter  now  extends  the  field  of  his 
operations.  His  hearers  are  naturally  just  about  to  inquire, 
"  AVho  is  the  Lord  whose  name  we  must  invoke  to  escape 
condemnation?"  But  the  speaker  still  judiciously  withholds 
a  direct  answer  to  this  question,  and  leaves  it  to  themselves 
to  discover  who  the  Lord  is,  who  alone  can  assure  them 
against  the  terrors  of  judgment.  He  contents  himself  at 
first  with  reminding  them  of  the  m.arvellous  life  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  of  which  they  had  been  to  some  extent  eye-wit- 
nesses, and  presses  upon  them  to  consider  whether  it  would 
have  been  porjsible  for  Him  to  perform  the  signs  and  won- 
ders which  He  did  unless  the  Almighty  had  been  with  Him. 
The  listeners  now  begin  to  think  whether  Jesus  be  really  the 
Lord  upon  whom  they  should  call.  Then  again,  he  makes 
another  step  towards  his  goal,  reminding  them  at  first  of  the 
bloody  end  of  this  mysterious  Personage  whom  they  had 
seen  walking  in  their  midst.  But  he  proceeds  most  carefully 
with  his  work ;  he  avoids  everything  that  might  possibly 
exasperate  them,  and  is  immediately  intent  upon  removing 
the  scandal  which  was,  as  far  as  they  v/ere  concerned,  in- 
volved in  the  terrible  issue  of  our  Lord's  life,  and  to  meet 
the  doubt  whether  one,  who  terminated  His  career  in  such  a 
mode,  could  possibly  be  the  Lord  of  heaven.  He  says,  "  Him, 
being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknow- 
ledge of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have 
crucified  and  slain!'     Thus  the  heavy  accusations  raised 


THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST.  267 

in  these  words  a^-ainst  the  Jews  are  not  without  extenua- 
tion, thoiioli  still  leaving  the  sting  rankling  in  their  con- 
sciences. For  it  must  constantly  have  recurred  to  them  to 
say,  "  We,  we  are  they  who  murdered  Him."  At  the  same 
time,  the  thought  must  liave  obtruded  itself  upon  them,  that 
God  must  inevitably  have  regarded  the  sufferings  and  death 
of  Jesus  as  requisite  and  necessary  to  the  completion  of  His 
(the  Father's)  purpose  in  the  mission  of  His  Son.  And  let 
it  not  be  liere  unnoted  with  what  clearness  tlie  same  disciple, 
who  on  a  former  occasion  would  violently  have  obstructed 
liis  Master's  progress  to  Jerusalem  and  tlie  cross,  now  appre- 
liends  the  high  importance  of  tlie  "  cross  of  Christ.''  Who 
wrought  this  in  him  ?  who  initiated  him  all  at  once  into  the 
great  mystery,  but  precisely  that  Holy  Spirit  who  now  led 
him  into  all  truth? 

The  multitude,  becoming  every  moment  more  thoughtful, 
listen  with  increasing  attention  to  the  speaker,  audit  possibly 
occurred  to  many  of  them  to  think  that  of  him  which  was 
said  of  his  superior,  though  his  speech  was  most  simple,  and 
totally  destitute  of  oratorical  pretension,  still  it  was  that  of 
"  o)ie  having  authority,  ami  not  as  the  scribes."  Peter  pro- 
ceeds: ''litis  man  approved  of  God  was  crucified  and  slain; 
hut  the  luicked  who  nailed  him  to  the  cross,  have  not,  how- 
ever, attained  their  end,  God  hath  raised  him  up,  having 
loosed  the  pains  of  death."  How  tliis  declaration  must  have 
astonished  the  multitude  !  "  Eeally  raised  to  life  again  ? " 
they  may  liave  secretly  asked  themselves  ;  ''  is  this  an  ascer- 
tained fact?  But  if  He  were  the  man  from  God,  why  was  it 
necessary  that  He  should  have  yielded  to  death  at  all,  and 
have  been  miraculously  restored  to  life?"  Whilst  thoughts 
and  questions  like  these  were  passing  through  their  minds,  I 
think  many  a  passage  in  the  old  prophecies  must  have  flashed 
across  their  memory  whose  uniform  tenor  indicated  that  the 
future  Messiali  should  "make  His  soul  an  offering  for  sin," 


268  THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

and  then  that  by  God  He  shonld  be  taken  from  judgment,  and 
raised  on  high.  But  that  which  presented  itself  to  them  as 
dim  and  fleeting,  was  rendered  definite  and  fixed  by  Peter's 
selection  of  some  of  those  prophetic  passages,  particularly 
those  in  the  Psalms  which  refer  to  the  Messiah  ;  and  he  lays 
special  stress  on  that  passage  in  which  the  royal  Psalmist 
prophesies  concerning  the  great  One  that  vms  to  come,  whom 
he  calls  "  his  Lord,"  who  should  indeed  die,  but  neither  see 
corruption  nor  remain  in  the  grave,  but  rise  again  in  trium- 
phant glory.  The  excitement  of  his  hearers  constantly  in- 
creases. Presently  the  speaker,  raising  his  voice,  continues  : 
"  Yes,  it  luas  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth  that  your  king, 
David,  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  prophesied  in  those 
Psalms.  Jesus  obviously  bears  all  the  marks  ascribed  to 
him  there,  for  he  died,  and  God  hath  raised  him  again; 
whereof  we  are  all  witnesses."  The  great  boldness  and  en- 
thusiasm with  which  Peter  spake,  and  which  all  the  other 
disciples  mrnifested  before  the  23eople,  were  adequate  evidence 
that  their  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  their  Master  was  no 
mere  conceit,  but  rested  on  a  basis  as  firm  as  a  rock.  There 
was  written  upon  the  beaming  countenances  of  these  men,  in 
characters  that  all  could  read,  that  He  who  had  been  dead 
was  really  alive  again,  and  had  the  keys  of  death  and  hell. 

"  And  the  man  whom  ye  would  not  recognise,"  adds  this 
Pentecostal  preacher,  "  is  more  than  risen.  'He  is  raised  hi/ 
the  right  hand  of  God  ;'  and  this  also  in  accordance  with  the 
prophecies  of  David,  who  says,  in  Psalm  ex.  :  '  The  Lord  said 
unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  until  I  make  thine 
enemies  my  footstool'  "  But  did  this  sublime  declaration 
leally  refer  to  Jesus  ?  Peter  says,  "  Is  it  not  perfectly  obvious 
to  you,  that  it  is  applicable  to  none  but  Him  ?  Here  is  the 
practical  proof  of  it !  Noiu  He  is  exalted  to  sit  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,"  cries  the  apostle  to  the  multitude  before  him, 
■yvho  were  excited  to  the  utmost ;  and  proceeds,  "and  having 


THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST.  269 

received  of  the  Father  the  jy^omise  of  the  Hohj  Ghost,  He 
hath  shed  forth  this  luhich  ye  noiu  see  and  hear."  The 
assembled  multitude  are  not  only'  amnzed,  but  terrified. 
What  can  they  further  object  to  this  conclusive  proof  that 
Jesus  is  the  Lord  of  heaven,  the  promised  Llessiah  ?  Truly 
He  is  the  Lord  ;  it  must  be  He  ^vhom  God  purposed  to  send 
into  the  world  as  its  Saviour.  And  how  had  He  been  treated  ? 
Li  spirit  th^y  see  themselves  already  judged,  and  made  His 
footstool.  Their  thoughts  conflict  within  them  like  an  armed 
host,  accusing  and  excusing  them.  Peter  has  the  draught 
which  he  so  earnestly  implored,  already  in  his  net,  and  all 
that  now  remains  to  be  done  is  to  draw  the  net  together  over 
them.  It  is  done.  "  Therefore,"  he  continues,  "  let  all  the 
house  of  Israel  know  assuredly  that  God  hath  made  that 
same  Jesus,  whom  ye"  (and  now  he  utters  the  plain  and  simple 
truth,  which  must  pierce  their  very  hearts)  "  have  crucified, 
both  Lord  and  Christ!' 

Such  is  Peter's  Pentecostal  sermon,  as  striking  as  it  is  con- 
cise, as  pithy  as  it  is  simple,  and  as  enlightened  as  it  is  con- 
vincing. Is  it  not  in  itself  a  practical  proof  of  the  advent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 

II.  But  the  operation  and  result  of  Peter's  sermon  afford 
a  still  more  evident  proof  of  this.  Observe  the  emotion 
which  pervades  the  crowd ;  the  expression  of  intense  appre- 
hension on  all  countenances.  " Noiu  tvhen  they  heard  this'' 
continues  the  narrative,  "  they  were  j^ricked  in  their  heart." 
It  shook  the  very  foundations  of  their  being  ;  it  utterly  pros- 
trated them  by  depicting  the  whole  magnitude  of  their 
blood-guiltiness ;  it  made  them  tremble  and  shudder  at  the 
thought  of  His  tribunal  who  has  said,  "  Vengeance  is  mine, 
I  luill  repay!'  Filled  with  concern,  and  panting  for  deliver- 
ance and  salvation,  they  cry  to  Peter  and  his  fellow-apostles, 
"  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?"  And  what  answer? 
Concise  in  its  terms,  but  again  testifying  to  the  divine  illu- 


270  THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

mination  of  the  speaker,  for  he  exhausted  the  whole  scheme 
of  salvation  in  a  few  syllables:  "Repent,  and  he  baptized 
every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  t'le  Holy  Ghost. 
For  the  j^^^oniise  is  unto  you  and  your  c-aldren,  and  to 
cdl  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God 
shall  call."  And  much  that  is  not  related  did  Peter  add  to 
this,  concluding  with  the  exhortation :  "  Save  yourselves 
from  this  untoiuard  generation^'  i.e.,  from  the  multitude, 
who  obstinately  close  tlieir  heart  against  belief,  and  will  not 
see  the  light,  although  it  be  reflected  upon  them.  And 
they  are  willing  to  be  saved.  Three  thousand  joyftdly 
accept  the  word,  and  are  baptized,  thereby  devoting  them- 
selves soul  and  body  to  the  Lord  Jesus  as  their  true  Saviour 
and  only  Mediator  and  Redeemer.  At  one  cast  of  the  gospel 
net  three  thousand  souls  are  taken,  and  quickened  with  the 
Spirit  from  on  high !  0  Peter  !  how  perfectly  true  were 
our  Lord's  words,  when  He  gave  thee  the  assurance  that 
thou  shouldst  become  a  ''fisher  of  men!'' 

But  v,diat  had  really  occurred  to  those  three  thousand  on 
the  great  day  of  Pentecost  ?  A  generation  were  born  again  ; 
a  race  of  essentially  renewed  individuals  ;  new  not  indeed  as 
to  the  body,  but  in  their  minds  and  hearts  ;  perfect,  though 
not  at  once  so,  in  their  development ;  but  the  faculty  was 
there  of  becoming  so,  and  a  germ  involving  the  ple(]ge  of  a 
most  glorious  development.  The  Church  of  Christ  was 
founded.  Had  you  but  been  able  to  look  into  the  inmost 
soul  of  those  three  thousand,  you  would  indeed  be  astonished 
at  the  transformation  which  took  place  so  suddenly  within 
them.  The  gulf  lying  between  them  and  even  the  most 
noble  of  those  who  are  still  in  a  state  of  nature  is  vast  and 
boundless.  They  now  look  at  everything  from  a  totally 
diff'erent  stnnd-point  from  the  world  ;  for  they  regard  every- 
thing as  liaving  reference  to  Cod,  His  government  and  His 


THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEASI  OF  PENTECOST.  271 

kingdom.  They  measuie  everything  by  a  totally  different 
standard  from  that  previously  employed  by  them  ;  for  now 
their  only  standard  is  God's  Word.  All  that  they  now 
undertake,  is  carried  out  differently ;  for  the  love  of  Christ 
constrains  and  guides  them.  Even  in  rejoicing,  their  motives 
for  doing  so  differ  from  those  of  the  world,  for,  resting  on  the 
bosom  of  His  grace,  they  joy  in  a  disburdened,  free,  and 
happy  conscience.  And  how  differently  do  they  bear  and 
suffer,  knowing  that  they  drink  only  the  cup  mixed,  pre- 
pared for  them  by  their  God,  in  all  kindliness  of  purpose 
and  in  the  exercise  of  a  wise  providence ;  and  thus  they  also 
love  differently :  for  they  love  in  God,  who  will  also  have 
compassion  on  their  brethren.  They  now  aim  at  other  ends : 
their  oljects  are  high — nothing  less  than  holiness,  likeness  to 
Ood,  and  communion  with  Him.  The  life  they  lead  is  unto 
the  Lord.  They  cast  all  that  gives  them  concern  upon  God. 
Though  the  world  may  not  see  it,  their  walk  and  conversa- 
tion is  already  in  heaven.  With  silent  joy  they  listen  to  the 
music  of  the  other  world  ringing  in  their  ears ;  and  death, 
when  he  beckons  to  them  holds  out  a  crown  of  glory. 
Such  were  the  Pentecostal  converts,  having  indeed  to  fight 
whilst  here  below,  but  their  warfare  is  a  spiritual  one  Such 
are  they  who  are  new  create  I  by  God's  Holy  Spirit:  the 
sanctified,  who  though  as  yet  disguised,  are,  in  the  inmost 
features  of  their  character  already  transformed  into  the 
image  of  Christ.  Were  the  world  filled  with  such  men, 
theU;  as  you  must  perceive,  peace  would  dwell  on  earth,  and 
earth  would  again  be  a  paradise.  And  we  may  all  become 
such,  and  must  do  so,  would  we  secure  our  souls  and  be  as- 
sured of  our  future.  The  way  to  this  end  has  been  pointed  out 
to  us  ;  and  even  if  it  had  not  been  so  before,  it  is  disclosed 
to  us  in  the  narrative.  Baptized  with  water  we  are  indeed 
already.  With  many  of  us,  however,  baptism  is  only  borne, 
as  are  the  royal  arms  by  deserters  n]X)n   their  epaulets,  only 


272  THE  ADDRESS  AT  THE  FEAST  OF  PENTECOST. 

to  mainfest  their  shame  and  condemnation.  By  deciding  to 
surrender  our  hearts  unconditionally  to  Jesus  Christ,  let  us 
allow  the  baptism  which  we  once  received  to  become  truth. 
The  Moral  Ruler  of  the  world  who  came  and  dwelt  amongst 
us  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  will  then  immediately  mould  us 
into  members  of  His  kingdom  :  the  effect  of  which  will 
assuredly  be  to  enable  us,  at  least  in  some  degree,  to  say 
confidently  with  the  ajDOstle :  "  But  we  all,  with  oj^en  face 
beholding  as  m  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed 
into  the  same  image  from,  glory  to  glory,  even  as  hy  the 
Sjnrit  of  the  Lord."  May  the  Lord  in  His  great  mercy  help 
us  all  to  attain  this  !  He  will  do  it  if  our  hearts  be  attuned 
to  tones  as  pure  and  lovely  as  those  found  in  the  sacred  song 
of  our  old  poet  Tersteegen  : — 

"  0  fount,  0  Spirit,  who  dost  take  and  show 
Things  of  the  Son  to  ns — who  crystal  clear 

From  God's  throne  and  the  Lamb's  dost  ceaseless  flow 
Into  the  quiet  hearts  that  seek  Thee  here — 

I  open  wide  my  mouth,  and  thirsting  sink 

Beside  thy  stream,  its  living  waves  to  diink. 

"  1  give  myself  to  Thee,  to  Thee  alone, 

From  all  else  sunder'd.  Thou  art  ever  near; 

The  creature  and  myself  I  all  disown. 

Trusting  with  inmost  faith  that  God  is  here ! 

0  God,  0  Spirit,  Light  of  life,  we  see 

None  ever  wait  in  vain  who  wait  for  Thee." 

Tersteegen,  1731.— Zym  Oermanica. 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER  273 


XX. 

THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOETER 

"  I  tell  you  the  truth  ;  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  : 
for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you;  hut  if  I  dejyart,  I  will  send  him  unto  youJ'  Thus  did 
our  Lord  (John  xvi.  7)  address  His  disciples,  when  their 
hearts  were  filled  with  sorrow  at  the  intimation  He  had  just 
given  of  His  approaching  departure.  Since  the  Lord  of 
heaven  says,  "  It  is  expedient  for  ijou,"  and  couples  with  it 
the  asseveration,  "/  tell  you  the  truth"  that  must,  indeed, 
be  something  great  and  glorious  which  He  holds  forth  in 
jDrospect  to  them.  And  truly  nothing  more  precious  could 
have  been  promised  them  than  the  sending  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Were  the  Holy  Spirit  here  represented  hut  as  ''He 
who  should  convince  the  luorld  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and 
of  judgment,"  that  would  suffice  to  indicate  His  preliminary 
work  ;  which  is  simply  restricted  to  make  known  the  channels 
by  which  the  streams  of  salvation,  comfort,  and  peace,  are 
conveyed  to  man,  and  with  which  He  comes  to  bJess  humanity. 
Whilst  engaged  in  this  meditation,  may  the  Lord  deign  to 
revive  us  with  jilenteous  draughts  from  these  streams  !  And 
He  will  do  so  if  He  but  find  us  amongst  those  who  thirst  for 
them,  and  to  whom  the  invitation  has  gone  forth  from  the 
lips  of  the  Most  High :  "Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  boaters ;  yea,  come,  huy  wine  and  milk  ivithout 
money  and  luithout  2>rice." 


274  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOETEE. 

Acts  ii.  16-18. 
"  But  this  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel ;  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  (saith  God,)  I  will  ponr  out  of  my  Spirit  upon 
all  flesh  :  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your  young 
men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams  :  and  on  my 
servants,  and  on  my  handmaidens,  I  will  pour  out  in  those  days  of  my 
Spirit ;  and  they  shall  prophesy." 

However  charming  the  word  Whitsimtide  may  strike  upon 
the  ear,  because  the  exhilarating  image  of  spring,  decked  in 
all  her  bridal  attire,  is  associated  with  this  festival,  still  it  is 
difficult  to  speak  intelligibly  of  the  importance  of  the  holy 
day  of  Pentecost  to  a  general  modern  assembly.  But  why 
is  it  so  ?  Because,  alas  !  so  little  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  be 
found  in  the  churches,  that  it  remains  but  too  true  which  the 
apostle  said,  "  The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  liim,  neither 
can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned'' 
Is  it  then  most  advisable  to  say  nothing  at  AVhitsuntide  of 
the  signification  of  this  festival?  By  no  means  !  For,  in  the 
first  place,  the  Holy  Ghost  avails  Himself  of  the  j^r^^'ohed 
word  to  open  the  understanding  of  the  hearers  with  reference 
to  their  own  character,  provided  He  finds  in  them  the  least 
trace  of  susceptibility  for  heavenly  things ;  and,  moreover, 
there  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  individuals  who  are  first-fruits 
of  the  Spirit  in  any  Christian  assembly.  I  hope,  then,  that 
it  will  be  the  desire  of  all  of  you,  that  the  import  of  this 
great  festival,  especially  its  consolatory  feature,  niay  present 
itself  to  you  in  a  more  ample  manner  than  it  ever  previously 
(lid,  wliiist,  guided  by  the  prophetic  passage  quoted  by  Peter, 
I  take  a  rapid  glance  at  that  new  period  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  which  dates  from  that  marvellous  day.  What  will  you 
then  be  enabled  to  perceive?  In  the  first  place,  you  will  see 
tiie  frontiers  of  the  divine  kingdom  extended  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth;  secondly,  the  Holy  Ghost  appointed  to  remould 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER.  275 

the  world ;  thirdly,  the  whole  human  race  assigned  to  Him 
for  exaltation  in  heaven ;  fourthly,  a  new  family  tie  formed 
by  Him  amongst  the  children  of  Adam ;  and  finally,  the 
foundation  of  a  general  j^riesthood  of  believers. 

Let  us  fix  our  attention  for  a  while  on  each  of  these  sub- 
jects ;  and  may  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  truth  not  fail  us 
whilst  so  enoaoed  ! 

I.  I  do  not  need  first  to  depict  the  stirring  scene  in  which 
Peter  addresses  to  us  the  prophetic  words  which  we  have 
just  heard  from  the  book  of  Joel  as  having  been  just  then 
fulfilled,  as  far,  at  least,  as  their  j^rincipal  meaning  was  con- 
cerned. You  are  already,  in  thought,  in  the  midst  of  that 
grand  scene,  and  you  share  the  astonishment  of  the  thousands 
assembled  on  Mount  Zion,  at  the  miraculous  signs  of  the 
mysterious  '' miglity  rushing  ivind,"  the  cloven  tongues  of 
flame  on  the  heads  of  the  hundred  and  twenty  disciples  who 
were  baptize  I  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  well  as  at  the  foreip-n 
languages  which  they  spake,  and  at  the  marvellous  unction 
and  power  with  which  you  suddenly  hear  those  poor  fisher- 
men, publicans,  and  sailors,  declare  the  wonderful  works  of 
God  their  Saviour.  The  greatest  indignation  seizes  you, 
that  at  the  time  when  all  around  burst  forth  into  an  exclama- 
tion of  most  intense  amazement,  "What  meaneth  this?"  a 
band  of  disorderly  fellows  should  have  vented  the  vulgarity 
of  their  minds  in  mockery,  saying,  "  These  men  are  full  of 
new  wine."  And  how  your  reverence  for  those  holy  and 
inspired  men  increases  when  you  hear  one  from  among  them 
indignantly,  but  with  calm  composure,  repudiate  the  dis- 
graceful accusation,  and  explain  quietly  and  clearly  to  the 
assembled  multitude  the  true  meaning  of  v/hat  they  see  and 
hear,  saying,  "  This  is  that  luhich  was  siyoken  by  the  proi^het 
Joel :  Thus  saith  God,  It  shall  come  to  j^ctss  in  the  last  days," 
{i.e.,  in  tlie  period  of  the  completion  of  God's  kingdom, 
which  began  with  the  day  of  Pentecost,)  "/  will  pour  out  of 


276  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOETEE. 

my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh.''  Do  you  hear  ? — "  upon  all  flesh  /" 
You  have  now  the  first  novelty  which  is  introduced  here. 
Up  to  that  time,  the  limits  of  God's  kingdom  did  not  extend 
beyond  those  of  the  one  chosen  people.  Divine  revelation 
was  made  to  Israel  alone,  and  upon  the  Jews  only  did  the 
Holy  Ghost  exercise  His  moulding  and  training  agency. 
God  allowed  all  other  nations,  as  it  is  said  in  the  Psalms, 
"  to  go  their  oimi  ways.''  In  them,  mankind  were  first  to  try 
their  own  strencith,  and  thus  to  prove,  as  it  were,  how  far 
they  were  able  to  advance  in  knowledge  of  the  truth  and 
self-improvement.  For  thousands  of  years  they  strove — and 
who  will  deny  that,  despite  their  degeneracy,  they  succeeded? 
— I  might  say,  in  presenting  themselves,  in  more  than  one 
respect,  and  especially  in  works  of  mind  and  genius,  as  » 
race  of  fallen  kings.  By  which  of  our  men  renowned  for 
earthly  wisdom  has  the  heathen  Plato  been  surpassed  ?  By 
which  of  our  politicians  the  heathen  Pericles?  By  which  of 
our  orators,  the  heathen  Demosthenes?  By  which  of  our 
artists,  the  heathen  Phidias?  By  which  of  our  poets,  the 
heathens  Homer  and  Sophocles?  By  none.  And  never- 
theless, those  nations  that  had  made  the  greatest  progress, 
and  were  the  most  civilised,  had  shewn  themselves  so  incap- 
able of  raising  themselves  to  any  extent  from  their  religious 
and  moral  decay,  that  at  the  time  of  the  eventful  day  of 
Pentecost,  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Jews,  were  on  the  verge  of  total  moral  corruption  and 
dissolution.  Their  misery  cried  to  heaven.  But  it  was 
right  and  necessary  that  they  should  first  be  made  sensible 
of  their  need  of  salvation  and  help,  in  order  that  the  intended 
redemption  of  the  world  should  not  find  all  hearts  entirely 
closed  against  it.  The  needed  assistance  came.  On  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  tlie  Lord  God  removed  the  barriers  that  encir- 
cled Israel,  and  extended  the  limits  of  His  kingdom  from 
pole  to  pole.    K(  nceforih  the  unsealed  fountain  of  life  should 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOETER.  277 

send  its  streams  into  all  lauds,  making  even  the  deserts  to 
bloom.  This  has  happened,  and  will  come  to  pass  again ; 
and  our  anxiety  for  the  future  of  the  world  and  of  our  race 
is  so  far  dissipated,  since  we  know  that  whoever  wills  not  to 
remain  in  death,  may  live. 

II.  Let  us  hear  something  more  concerning  the  compas- 
sionate purpose  of  our  God.  "/  ivill pour  out"  says  He  in 
His  promise,  "  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh."  How  consola- 
tory does  this  sound  !  And  yet  it  seems  as  though  He  here 
only  promised  to  impart  isolated  spiritual  gifts.  The  per- 
sonality of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  less  apparent.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  know  well  how  strongly  it  is  emphasised  in 
other  passages  of  Holy  Scripture.  I  do  not  need  to  remind 
you  again  either  of  the  passage  in  John  xiv. :  "  /  ivill  pray 
the  Father,  and  he  shall  (jive  you  another  Comforter ;"  or 
of  His  word — "  The  Comforter,  luhich  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you 
all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  what- 
soever I  have  said  unto  you;'  or  of  the  passage  in  John 
xvi.  :  "  Howbeit  luhen  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth;''  or  of  the  other  one — "He 
shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  luhatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that 
shall  he  speak :  and  he  luill  shew  you  things  to  come.  He 
shall  glorify  'me,  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall 
shew  it  unto  you.''  Just  as  little  occasion  have  I  to  recall 
well-known  passages  in  the  epistles  in  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  most  unequivocally  distinguished  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  where  operations  and  works  purely  personal  in 
their  character  are  ascribed  to  Him,  and  the  same  dignity 
and  honours  are  attributed  to  Him  which  are  due  to  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  If  divine  revelation  did  not  most 
explicitly  represent  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  being,  a  personality 
equal  to,  God,  how  could  the  Christian  Church  have  made 
the  triple  personality  of  the  Godhead  (if  I  may  make  use  of 


278  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER. 

this  expression)  the  very  foundation  of  Christianity  ?  It  is 
indeed  a  matter  of  faith.  But  we  are  not  required  to  be- 
lieve anything  which  we  cannot  directly  perceive  in  the  way 
of  our  own  personal  experience,  Enongli  that  after  Christ 
had  fulfilled  His  great  work  of  atonement,  the  Holy  Ghost — 
who,  exercising  creative  power,  now  moves  over  the  wilder- 
ness and  desert  of  the  moral  world,  as  He  did  in  the  be- 
ginning of  days  over  the  waters  of  the  earth,  vv^liich  was  still 
without  form  and  void — has  come  down  to  us  in  order,  in 
Christ's  name,  to  occujoy  Himself  in  the  exalted  office  of 
spiritually  moulding  and  creating  degenerate  man  anew. 
What  a  consolatory  thought  this  is  !  We  know  that  another 
spirit  than  the  Holy  Ghost  likewise  rules  upon  earth,  and 
that  he  too  has  selected  man  as  the  material,  o]ierating  upon 
which,  he  strives  to  reproduce  himself  and  his  character. 
He  likewise  has  his  personality ;  true  it  is,  he  is  but  a  crea- 
ture ;  but  armed  with  miglity  power,  and  endowed  with 
great  cunning  and  subtlety.  He  is  the  fallen  morning  star, 
once  the  most  distinguished  of  all  spirits  which  proceeded 
from  the  hand  of  God ;  now,  however,  God's  sworn  enemy, 
and  the  most  bitter  opponent  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  of 
all  that  is  good.  His  dominion  is  so  extended  and  so  great, 
that  the  Scripture  concedes  to  him  not  only  the  title  of 
"prince,''  but  even  calls  him  the  "  god  of  this  'world'' 
Satan  is  his  name.  What  would  become  of  us,  if  we  stood 
alone  opposed  to  him,  and  to  his  legions  of  angels,  thrown 
back  upon  our  own  defensive  powers  ?  But,  praised  be 
God  !  a  mightier  One  now  contends  with  hiiu,  who  laughs 
his  power  and  his  machinations  to  scorn,  and  who  will 
infallibly  keep  the  field.  The  Spirit  of  Pentecost,  this 
communicating  Agent  of  heavenly  powers  to  us  mortals, 
this  Creator  of  life  and  Liberator  from  bonds,  undertook, 
from  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to  guide,  educate,  and  instruct 
the  whole  human  race.     What  can  we  desire  more  ?    What 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOKTER.  279 

hopes  may  we  not  clieiisli  with  reference  to  the  further 
development  of  onr  race  ?  Actino-  upon  fallen  human  nature, 
He  will  know  how  to  make  something  to  the  glory  of  God! 
Whitsuntide  inspires  courage.  Though  for  a  while  falsehood, 
crime,  and  ungodliness  cover  the  earth  as  waters  cover  the 
bed  of  the  sea,  tlie  day  of  Pentecost  prevents  despair  and 
iipprehension.  Taken  collectively,  we  are  not  going  down 
hill,  but,  on  the  contrary,  are  rising  higher.  Jerusalem  is 
being  built.  Tlicre  shall  be  a  new  earth  as  well  as  a  new 
heaven  in  which  righteousness  shall  dwell.  Nothing  is 
more  certain  than  this.  The  rule  of  tlie  Spirit  of  Pentecost 
assuredly  guarantees  it  to  us. 

III.  "  1  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  fiesh."  Why 
does  the  Lord  thus  express  Himself  in  His  promise  ?  Partly 
in  order  to  intimate  the  extensive  sphere  of  the  operations  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  time  of  the  new  covenant ;  partly  in 
order  to  indicate  that,  as  the  rain  and  dew  refresh  the  vege- 
table world,  so  the  Spirit  from  above  will  penetrate  man's 
whole  nature,  vivifying  and  transforming  him.  We  already 
know  that  the  Holy  Ghost  operates  differently  under  the 
new  covenant  from  what  He  did  under  the  old.  Your  at- 
tention has  been  already  directed  to  the  difference  between 
His  operations  subsequent  to  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  and 
those  which  were  wrought  prior  to  that  day.  You  will 
admit  that,  during  the  legal  dispensation,  such  characters 
were  never  brought  under  your  observation,  (subsequent  to 
Pentecost,)  as  you  discover  in  a  John,  in  a  Peter,  or  in  a 
Paul,  who  were  so  wholly  dead  to  the  suggestions  of  the  old 
man,  in  whom  holiness  pervaded  their  being  to  its  very  core, 
and  whose  walk  and  conversation  were  already  in  heaven. 
The  Holy  Spirit,  moreover,  works  by  means  of  the  Word, 
and  never  luUliout  it.  His  primary  workings  are  indeed  of 
a  painful  character.  He  begins  His  work  by  dispelling 
many  favourite  delusions  in  which  we  may  have  involved 


280  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER. 

ourselves.  Acting  as  guardian,  before  His  wards  are  aware 
of  it,  the  "  good  God "  in  whom  they  had  implicitly  looked 
for  comfort  is  transformed  into  a  thrice-holy  majesty,  the 
much  -  loved  seat  of  the  universal  Father  into  a  dread 
tribunal,  glowing  with  fiery  flame'-s  and  His  "  beautiful 
heaven  "  into  a  holy  of  holies  to  which  only  the  consecrated 
and  righteous  may  obtain  admittance ;  His  law,  which  they 
thought  so  easy  to  fulfil,  becomes  a  most  relentless  accuser, 
if  violated  but  in  one  point,  and  that  whether  it  be  by  overt 
act,  or  only  by  latent  desire  or  inclination.  A  burning  and 
shining  light,  such  as  they  have  never  heretofore  seen,  then 
rises  before  them,  disclosing  their  real  state.  Their  peace 
of  mind  is  gone.  They  tremble  at  the  thought  of  the  day  of 
account.  Liit  now  the  Spirit  continues  His  work  within 
them  ;  for  He  glorifies  Christ  in  them,  revealing  the  treasures 
of  compassion  which  lie  concealed  in  Him,  teaching  them  to 
believe  in  the  propitiatory  power  of  His  blood,  and  bearing 
testimony  with  their  spirits  that  they  also  are  children  of 
God  through  the  mediation  of  their  everlasting  High  Priest. 
And,  together  with  peace  in  believing,  He  inspires  love  in 
the  heart,  filial  love  to  God  the  Lord,  and  to  all  that  is  God's; 
and  with  love  He  implants  hope,  which  enables  them  to  see 
the  world,  death,  and  the  grave,  placed  beneath  their  feet, 
and  soaring  on  eagle's  wings  far  above  the  heights  of  earth, 
joyfully  to  attain  that  abode  which  is  prepared  for  them  on 
high.  Thus  they  journey,  God's  pilgrims  and  His  citizens, 
cheerfully  performing  what  is  required  in  the  service  of  the 
Lord,  and  happy  in  the  blissful  prospects  which  they  see 
disclosed  before  them.  The  Holy  Ghost  transforms  all  the 
poor  children  of  Adam  who  confidingly  submit  themselves  to 
His  care,  into  such  men,  living  to  the  Lord ;  and  He  never 
more  forsakes  them,  but  helps  their  weakness,  arms  them  for 
the  fight  that  shall  issue  in  victory,  against  all  the  powers  of 
darkness,  expands  their  heart  and  gives  enlargement  and 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER.  281 

fervency  in  prayer,  and  renders  them  unceasingly  the  most 
splendid  services  and  powerful  assistance,  by  a  thousand 
secret  modes,  instructions,  warnings,  and  intimations,  often 
before  they  are  aware.  Such  is  the  transformation  which 
the  Pentecostal  Spirit  imparts  to  those  who  are  under  His 
guardianship  here  on  earth. 

IV.  But  to  whom  does  the  Spirit  thus  reveal  Himself? 
In  the  days  of  the  old  covenant  he  generally  held  intercourse 
only  with  the  pillars  and  dignitaries  in  God's  kingdom,  en- 
lightening them,  and  delivering  His  messages  to  them. 
Since  His  entry  into  the  world  at  Pentecost,  however,  He 
has  designed  His  loving  care  indiscriminately  for  all  sinners, 
just  as  the  Mediator's  blood  was  shed  for  all.  The  declara- 
tion of  the  prophet  Joel  must  have  struck  the  ears  of  the 
ancients  with  wonder :  "  Your  sons  and  your  daughters 
shall  prophesy,  and  your  young  men  shall  see  visions,  and 
your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams :  and  on  my  servants  and 
on  my  handmaidens  I  luill  jjour  out  in  those  dags  of  my 
Spirit.''  This  did  not  mean  indeed.  They  shall  all  receive 
direct  revelations  from  God ;  its  signification  was  rather 
this  :  The  Spirit  will  subject  them  all  to  His  operations,  and 
according  to  His  purpose,  make  them  partakers  of  a  new 
life.  And  we  now  see  tliis  fulfilled.  Old  and  young, 
learned  and  unlearned,  high  and  low,  masters  and  servants, 
and  maidens  too,  experience  a  new  birth,  which  influences 
their  mind,  temper,  and  understanding,  their  heart  and  their 
conversation  :  the  external  distinctions  of  superior  and  in- 
ferior continue  in  the  meanwhile,  such  being  God's  will  and 
ordinance  ;  but  they  are  inwardly,  and  with  reference  to  the 
Sjjirit,  upon  a  perfect  equality  as  to  rank  and  training.  A 
nobility  is  instituted,  novel  in  its  kind,  ranking  immeasurably 
higher  than  one  proceeding  from  mere  birth  and  descent.  I 
meet  n:ien  amongst  those  who  have  been  baptized  in  the  Spirit, 
who  go  about  in  working-men's  dress,  "who,  if  we  speak  of 


282  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOKTER. 

deeds,  would  be  found  to  be  men  who  have  overcome  the 
world — who,  as  to  education,  ju;lge  all  the  things  of  this 
world  immeasurably  more  soundly  and  profoundly  than 
thousands  of  learned  men — who,  as  to  their  minds,  possess 
much  deeper  conceptions  than*  those  of  the  greatest  philo- 
sophers, where  these  latter  have  but  drawn  from  the  re- 
sources of  their  own  minds — and  who,  as  to  morals,  may 
boast  that  they  exhibit  a  tact  much  finer  and  more  delicate 
than  any  dictated  by  a  mere  worldly  sysfem  of  fasliions,  in- 
asmuch as  theirs  is  peculiarly  their  own,  and  not  borrowed 
from  others.  He  who  gives  free  scope  to  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  be  raised  by  Him  to  a  degree  of  general  moral  refine- 
ment to  which  no  human  art  or  science  can  possibly  elevate 
him.  I  know  men  in  the  highest  rank  of  society  who,  be- 
cause they  share  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  feel  themselves  more 
closely,  nearly,  and  intimately  connected  with  their  converted 
servants,  than  with  their  equals,  in  a  worldly  point  of  view, 
in  culture  and  rank.  And  this  feeling  of  relationship  is 
maintained  among  all  genuine  children  of  the  Spirit.  Thus 
the  Holy  Spirit  forms  a  new  family  tie  among  the  children 
of  Adam,  which  will  ever  extend  further  and  further,  until 
at  length  it  shall  embrace  all  mankind  as  one  flock  under 
one  Shepherd.  "  For  by  one  Sjnrit"  says  the  apostle,  (1  Cor. 
xii.  13,)  comprehending  all  true  believers  with  himself  in 
one  body,  "are  we  all  haiJtized  into  one  body,  tuhether  lue  be 
Jews  or  Greeks,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free ;  and  have  been 
all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit ;"  and  in  Gal.  iii.  28 : 
"  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor 
free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female:  for  ye  are  all  one  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

V.  The  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  manifold.  They  are 
not  all  necessary  to  salvation.  Some  of  them,  such  as  the 
ability  to  preach,  the  qualifications  of  a  pastor,  of  church 
government,  and  the  like,  only  serve  to  the  perfecting  of  the 


x'HE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFORTER.  1'63 

kingdom  of  God.  Under  the  old  covenant  these  were 
associated  with  particular  offices.  The  Spirit  now  dis- 
tributes these  to  such  in  the  Church  of  Christ  as  He  wills ; 
*' But  the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given,''  says  the 
apostle,  "  to  every  man  to  profit  withal ;"  and  the  "  universal 
•priesthood''  of  believers  is  based  upon  this  fact,  without 
detriment  to  the  ordinances  and  offices  established  by  God  in 
the  Church,  nay,  accommodating  and  making  tlicmselves 
subject  to  them,  they  are  all  called,  as  endowed  each  severally 
according  to  the  measure  of  His  gift,  to  co-operate  in  the 
perfecting  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  There  is  not  one  amongst 
them  who  is  not  authorised,  and  to  whom  it  is  not  likewise 
conceded  to  appear  before  the  throne  of  God  with  suitable 
intercession  for  others ;  to  win  souls  to  the  Lord  by  words 
mighty  to  convince,  plain  and  simple  though  they  be ;  and 
to  light  the  way  to  the  divine  havens  of  refuge,  to  those 
who  have  gone  astray,  and  have  wandered  from  the  right 
path,  by  the  quiet  shining  light  of  their  own  example. 
''He  thai  helieveth  on  me,"  saith  our  Lord,  ''out  of  his  helly 
shall floiu  rivers  oflivinrj  tuater."  Wiiat  a  promise  is  this! 
True  believers  are  not  only  blessed  themselves,  but,  wherever 
they  are,  they  are  springs  of  blessing  for  all  around  them, 
which  iiow  unceasingly,  and  yet  are  never  exhausted,  so  that, 
whether  silent  or  speaking,  at  rest  or  in  action,  they  are  ever 
exerting  an  influence,  now  awakening,  now  quickening,  now 
enlightening,  and  now  calming  and  solacing.  They  are  as 
"  trees  planted  by  the  rivers  of  luater,  ivhose  leaves  shall  not 
tuither,"  nay,  ''  serve  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  But  all 
this  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  dwelling  in  them,  has 
cliosen  them  to  be  His  vessels  and  His  instruments.  If  we, 
then,  my  friends,  have  not  yet  assumed  this  priestly  character, 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  might  not  have  done  so,  and  that 
long  ago.  We  are  all  called  thereto.  The  Divine  Com- 
forter, with  His  wondrous  unction,  has  Ions;  stood  at  the  door 


284  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMFOETEE. 

of  our  hearts.  Oh  that  we  would  but  admit  Him,  and  grant 
Him  free  and  unbounded  scope  for  His  operations  !  our  moral 
atmosphere  would  soon  be  filled  with  Divine  quickening  and 
saving  powers  ;  and  even  though  "  lightnings  and  thunder- 
ings  and  voices''  should  not  proceed  from  us,  our  whole 
appearance  would  breathe  a  something  which  would  revive 
the  withered,  refresh  the  wearv,  and  reanimate  the  sick. 
Oh,  when  will  it  come  to  pass  that  the  prevailing  want  of 
spirituality  shall  cease  from  amongst  us,  when  there  shall  be 
an  efficacious  remedy  for  our  drooping  faith,  and  that  the 
Divine  creative  fiat  shall  resound  to  awaken  the  dead  by 
whom  we  are  encompassed :  "  Gome  from  the  four  winds,  0 
breath,  and  breathe  upon  these  slain  that  they  may  live  ? " 
When  shall  we  be  able  to  say  of  our  churches:  " Lo,  the 
tvinter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over  and  gone,  the  floiuers  appear 
on  the  earth ;  the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and 
the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land  f "'  It  would  soon 
come  to  pass  indeed,  if  our  souls  did  bat  really  thirst  for  it, 
and  if  tlie  holy  flame  of  prayer,  which  so  delightfully  and 
fervently  meets  us  in  the  sacred  song,  were  never  extinguished 
on  the  altar  of  our  hearts  : — 

"  0  Holy  Ghost !  Thou  fire  divine  ! 
From  highest  heaven  on  us  down  shine. 
Comforter,  be  Thy  comfort  mine  ! 
Oh,  cleanse  our  souls  from  sinful  stain. 
O'er  desert  hearts  Thy  blessing  rain, 
And  heal  the  wounded  from  their  pain. 
And  may  we  live  in  holiness, 
And  find  in  death  our  happiness, 
And  dwell  with  Thee  in  lasting  bliss  ! " 

Lyra  Oermanica. 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY.  285 


XXL 

THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

In  Ps.  XXV.  1 6,  David  breaks  forth  thus,  "  /  am  desolate  !  " 
In  one  sense  it  was  truth,  in  another  it  was  not  so.  He  felt 
desolate ;  but  our  feelings  deceive  us  thousands  of  times. 
He  was  never  deserted  for  a  moment.  The  Lord  was  with 
him  even  when  concealed  ''behind  the  ivalV  "/  am  deso- 
late I "  This  is  a  lamentation  that  is  heard  more  frequently 
than  any  other  in  the  "  tabernacles  of  the  righteous."  But  we 
should  not  be  too  hasty.  Let  us  remember  that  such  a  com- 
plaint makes  God  a  liar,  for  He  has  said  :  ''  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  encampeth  round  about  them  that  fear  him;"  and 
Jesus  a  liar,  for  He  saith,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  ahuay,  even  to 
the  end  of  the  luorkV  And  as  this  latter  is  the  Aljoha,  so 
likewise  is  He  the  Omega,  and  as  the  first,  so  likewise  is  He 
the  last.  Many  complain,  in  contemjDlation  of  the  guidings 
in  Providence,  of  the  path  in  which  they  are  constrained  to 
go,  "  /  am  desolate !  '  But  were  it  really  a  fact,  that  the 
Lord  is  leading  thee  by  a  way  trodden  by  no  second  in- 
dividual, would  that  be  a  misfortune  ?  I  think,  if  He  but 
lead  us,  tliat  ouglit  to  be  enough  for  us.  "  SJiull  the  thing 
formed  say  to  him  that  formed  it,  Why  hast  thou  made 
me  thus?  and  the  clay  to  his  jiotter,  What  makest  thou?" 
And  no  one  can  say  with  truth,  in  reference  to  the  path  by 
which  he  is  led,  "  /  am  desolate ! "  Many  travel  the  same 
road,  though  we  are  not  aware  of  it.     Search  Scripture,  and 


286  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

you  will  certainly  find  some  one  there,  and  upon  closer  survey 
you  will  find  amongst  your  fellow-pilgrims,  some  in  whose 
experience  you  may  recognise  your  own.  And  it  is  un- 
doubtedly consolatory  and  encouraging  to  meet  brethren 
amongst  the  saints  of  God,  whose  experience  in  folloTving 
the  Lord  agrees  with  ours.  "  I  am  desolate !"  exclaims  many 
a  one  with  reference  to  the  faith  which  he  confesses,  and 
according  to  which  he  lives.  I  believe  things,  thinks  he, 
which  millions  of  my  fellow-men  have  long  since  rejected  as 
idle  tales,  such  as  (amongst  others)  Christ's  Godhead,  re- 
demption through  Christ's  blood,  His  miracles,  and  signs. 
And  in  connexion  with  such  a  perception  arises  the  doubt 
whether  he  be  the  only  one  that  is  in  the  right,  and  whether 
all  those  millions  be  in  the  wrong.  0  thou  who  art  tor- 
mented by  such  a  doubt,  know  that  assuredly  those  millions 
err,  and  that  thou,  though  thou  wert  alone  in  thy  belief,  art 
right,  for  thy  foundation  is  the  Word  of  God.  But  thou 
lookest  at  the  matter  far  too  gloomily  when  thou  supposest 
that  there  are  but  so  few  who  hold  thy  faith.  The  number 
of  those  who  have  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal  is  innumerably 
greater  than  thou  of  "little  faith''  dost  imagine.  And, 
moreover,  cease  to  judge  the  race  of  mortals  who  surround 
thee  to  be  the  whole  world  of  intelligent  beings,  and  this 
earth,  but  as  the  drop  of  a  bucket,  as  God's  whole  universe. 
Left  up  thine  eyes  and  see  whether  thou  art  really  desolate. 
Look  at  the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  standing  be- 
fore the  throne  of  the  Almighty,  and  at  the  multitude  of  just 
men  made  perfect,  whom  no  man  can  number,  in  white 
robes  and  with  golden  harps  in  their  hands.  These  are  thy 
fellow-believers  who  bear  their  testimony  to  thy  faith,  and 
who,  interceding  for  thee  and  for  thy  cause,  pray  day  and 
night,  and  adoringly  cry,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  to  receive  honour  and  glory  and  blessing  for  ever  and 
ever  V     But,  as  we  have  said,  there  are  numbers  here  now 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY.  287 

who  hold  the  same  faith,  who  serve  the  same  Lord,  who 
walk  the  same  path,  and  who  fight  and  suffer  with  thee,  and 
who,  unknown  to  thee,  bear  thee  upon  prayerful  hearts.  And 
be  assured  they  are  amongst  the  very  noblest  wdio  breathe 
upon  earth,  they  are  the  light  and  the  salt  of  the  world. 
Believe  in  the  "fellowship  of  saints!'  Thou  thinkest, 
*'  Oh,  would  that  there  were  such  a  church  somewhere  upon 
earth,  as  that  first  at  Jerusalem  baptized  by  the  Holy 
Spirit !"  Well,  that  also  has  not  yet  disappeared.  And  we 
are  now  just  about  to  treat  of  it. 

Acts  ii.  42-47. 
"  And  they  continued  stedfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship, 
and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers.  And  fear  came  upon  every  soul : 
and  many  wonders  and  signs  were  done  by  the  apostles.  And  all  that  be- 
lieved were  together,  and  had  all  things  common ;  and  sold  their  possessions 
and  goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men,  as  every  man  had  need.  And  they, 
continuing  daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from 
house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  heart, 
praising  God,  and  having  favour  with  all  the  people.  And  the  Lord  added 
to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 

Oh  what  a  charming  spectacle  is  that  presented  to  us, 
and  found  not  in  the  ideal  world  of  poesy,  but  in  reality ! 
Christianity  recognises  in  it  the  portrait  of  her  spiritual 
youth.  It  was  thus  that  she  looked  when  brought  into  life 
by  the  creative  breath  of  tlie  holy  Spirit  as  the  Pentecostal 
Church.  Does  she  still  recognise  herself  in  this  portrait,  or 
does  she  shrink  back  from  the  mirror,  blushing  and  con- 
fused ?  1  do  not  say  that  this  Church  has  disappeared  from 
the  world.  Nay,  this  lovely  temple  might  again  be  recon- 
structed in  our  day,  though  the  living  stones  of  which  it 
would  be  composed  would  be  found  far  asunder.  The 
Christian  Church,  however,  is  no  longer  this  temple,  and 
assuredly  scarce  any  church  could  be  found  which  might 
compare  with  tliat  primary  one  at  Jerusalem.     This  latter 


288  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

is  and  remains  a  type  and  pattern  upon  which  every  subse- 
quent church  has  to  be  moulded.  It  must,  therefore,  be  of 
the  highest  interest  for  us  to  devote  our  intelligent  considera- 
tion to  the  appearance  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  its  original 
and  typical  constitution.  *Let  us  look  upon  that  Church, 
then,  in  the  first  place,  in  its  positive  characteristic  features  ; 
and  in  the  next,  in  its  operation  upon  the  luorld  surround- 
ing it.  May  the  beautiful  picture  excite  us  to  more  earnest 
emulation  !     May  the  Lord  bless  our  meditations  ! 

I.  You  know  the  constitution  of  the  Church  which  is  now 
brought  before  us.  Who  would  have  thought  that  so  noble 
a  production  could  have  been  formed  out  of  sucli  crude  and 
refractory  materials  as  was  the  Israel  of  that  time.  You  saw 
the  well-known  vision  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel  realised  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  A  field  covered  with  the  bones  of  the 
spiritually  dead  hsy  before  you.  And  to  these  the  summons 
issued,  "  0  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord."  Peter 
then  pro2:)hesied  to  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Then 
began  a  noise  and  shaking  on  the  wide  and  desolate  field ; 
and  when  the  "wind" — i.e.,  the  Holy  Ghost — was  com- 
manded to  "  Come  and  breathe  upon  these  slain,  that  they 
might  live;'  breath  came  into  them,  and  they  rose,  and  lived  ; 
and  sinews  and  flesh  grew  upon  them,  and  they  acquired  a 
form.  And  there  was  an  exceeding  great  army  of  them : 
three  thousand  in  number.  This  was  a  miracle  indeed  of 
which  the  meaning  was  most  consolatory  and  rich  in  pro- 
mise 1  After  the  Spirit  has  once  made  an  entrance,  how 
quickly  does  He  eiiect  the  most  surprising  and  glorious 
transformation,  even  in  the  most  uncouth  and  perverse 
nations !  How  this  cheers  our  prospect  for  this  world  and 
quickens  our  hope  for  the  future  I  The  three  thousand  j^ro- 
selytes  immediately  joined  themselves,  as  members  of  one 
body,  to  the  believers  who  were  already  in  Jerusalem  ;  and 
thus,   resplendent  in  all  the  living   freshness   of   youthful 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY-.  289 

beauty,  the  first  Christian  church  stood  forth,  the  model  for 
all  those  which  should  ever  afterwards  be  formed.  This 
community  is  minutely  described  to  us  in  all  its  essential 
characteristics.  We  hear  of  their  faith,  of  iheu  fellowship, 
of  their  heavenly  frame  of  mind,  of  their  hold  confession, 
and  of  the  jwevailing  temper  and  disposition  of  the  members. 
"  They  continued,"  thus  we  read,  in  the  first  place,  "in  the 
apostles  doctrine.''  Happy  indeed  were  they  to  have  been 
able  to  cultivate  the  field  of  their  Christian  knowledge  under 
the  immediate  direction  of  the  holy  apostles !  We,  however, 
are  not  much  less  highly  favoured.  That  which  was  com- 
municated and  disclosed  to  them  orally,  we  have  before  us 
in  the  text  of  the  apostolic  epistles.  But  the  belief  of  the 
first  Christians  in  the  doctrine  of  the  apostles  is  highly  im- 
portant to  us.  It  throws  a  great  weight  into  the  balance 
of  our  own  convictions.  The  apostles  preached  to  them  that 
which  is  now  delivered  in  their  writings  to  us, — the  divinity 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  all-sufiiciency  of  His  mediation,  justifica- 
tion by  grace  on  the  ground  of  His  merits,  and  all  that  stands 
connected  with  the  doctrines  of  grace.  The  believers  in  the 
apostolic  message  opened  their  hearts,  utterly  divested  of  all 
suspicion,  to  the  Christ  to  whom  they  were  now  directed  in 
all  their  difficulties — the  majority  of  them  having  known 
Him  whilst  living  and  moving  bodily  in  their  midst.  This 
circumstance  places  it  beyond  doubt  that  they  had  themselves 
received  impressions  concerning  His  person  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  those  great  and  glorious  things  which  they  now 
learne<i  of  Him,  and  with  the  design  of  His  mission ;  the 
one  truly  confirmed  tlie  other.  It  would  occur  to  them, 
"  Why  should  not  we  consider  the  sublime  things  which  you, 
His  confiucints,  proclaim  to  us  concerning  the  nature,  the 
dignity,  and  the  works  of  the  Son  of  Man,  as  worthy  of  all 
acceptation?  His  whole  deportment  tended  to  prove  that 
He  was  precisely  such  a  one  as  you  have  depicted  Him, 


290  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

and  that  He  really  would  accomplisli  great  and  marvellous 
things.  We,  moreover,  saw  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
only-begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth  ! "  But 
the  intimate  convictions  which  you,  the  contemporaries  of 
Jesus,  the  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of  both  His  deeds  and  words 
have  formed,  must  materially  contribute  for  ever  to  dissipate 
all  remaining  scruples  in  ourselves.  Your  faith  sustains  ours 
— nay,  is  even  calculated  to  remove  every  prop,  stay,  and  pre- 
text for  unbelief. 

The  fellowship  of  the  first  Christians  has  become  cele- 
brated. The  word  in  the  original  has  a  twofold  application. 
It  betokens  mutual  help  in  the  distribution  of  earthly  gifts, 
and  in  the  exchange  of  spiritual  ones ;  and  it  likewise  means 
intimate  fellowship,  and  hearty  interchange  of  sincerely  re- 
ciprocated affection.  The  devil  had  not  then  sown  the  seeds 
of  bickering  and  strife  in  the  field  of  the  Church  which  now, 
alas  !  flourish  so  luxuriantly.  Possibly  even  then  diversity 
of  views  and  apprehensions  may  have  been  manifested 
amongst  Christians.  But  they  were  perfectly  agreed  in  all 
fundamental  articles — on  those,  for  instance,  concerning  the 
Divine  yet  human  person  of  the  Redeemer,  His  work  of 
atonement  as  the  sole  ground  of  accej^tance  with  God,  salva- 
tion by  faith  alone, — faith,  however,  which  does  not  remain 
fruitless,  but  whose  inevitable  consequence  is  sanctity  of  life, 
— the  sacraments  as  priceless  divine  means  of  grace  and 
salvation  ; — and  this  agreement,  founded  on  common  experi- 
ence both  of  heart  and  life,  w^as  ever  growing  more  deeply 
rooted,  and  proved  more  than  adequate  for  the  foundation 
of  the  most  sincere  and  endeared  relations  between  them. 
They  knew  that  they  were  all  bought  with  one  blood,  quick- 
ened by  one  Spirit,  and  called  to  one  inheritance  of  the 
"  saints  in  light."  How  could  they  but  have  felt  as  a  family 
most  intimately  connected,  associated  for  eternity,  whose 
head  was  their  exalted  and  g-lorified  Master? 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY.  291 

And  they  gave  practical  and  symbolical  expression  to  this 
feeling  by  frequently  breaking  bread  in  each  other's  houses 
and  tents,  doing  so  in  small  companies  composed  of  different 
members ;  taking  their  simple  meal  together,  and  thus  re- 
calling the  sacred  table  at  which  our  Lord  supped  with  His 
disciples.  This,  of  course,  took  place  after  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day,  for  we  are  not  to  imagine  that  they  were 
idlers.  You  know  how  the  disciples,  after  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord,  returned  to  their  nets  during  the  short  time 
they  had  to  wait ;  and  again,  how  Paul  afterwards,  though 
preaching  during  the  day,  passed  part  of  the  night  at  the 
loom  in  order  to  earn  his  own  bread.  Their  Lord,  indeed, 
was  no  longer  present  at  these  social  family  repasts.  But 
though  not  visibly  with  them,  He  was  nevertheless  essen- 
tially so,  in  the  sweet  peace,  the  inward  heavenly  joy,  and 
the  brotherly  love,  which  He  had  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts. 
And  He  was  still  more  intimately  present  with  them  in  the 
significant  solemnity  which  was  ever  united  to  these  love- 
feasts,  which  was,  indeed,  the  real  aim  of  these  meetings  at 
the  board, — I  mean,  in  the  communion  which,  in  His  ab- 
sence, so  fully  indemnified  them  for  the  loss  of  His  presence, 
— in  the  enjoyment  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  elements  of 
which  had  been  blessed  by  Him  himself, — the  consecrated 
bread  and  wine,  those  seals  of  His  grace,  those  pledges  of 
His  personal  presence.  How  far  were  they  elevated  above 
the  heights  of  earth,  and  how  did  they  experience  the  truth 
of  His  promise,  "  Where  two  or  three  are  viet  together  in  my 
name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  .'" 

And  do  not  marvel  when  it  is  further  related  concerninor 
the  members  of  this  church,  that  they  "had  all  things 
common,  and  sold  their  possessions  and  goods,  and  parted 
them  to  all  men,  as  every  man  had  need."  The  feeling  of 
Christian  fellowship  was  in  them  so  powerful,  that  they 
naturally  considered  the  worldly  goods  which  had  fallen  to 


292  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

the  lot  of  any  as  belonging  also  to  the  poor  brethren  who 
formed  the  greater  part  of  the  community  ;  and  their  frame 
of  mind  was  so  heavenly,  that  their  appreciation  of  the 
gracious  spiritual  gifts  which  they  had  attained  through 
Christ  was  such  as  to  make  all  earthly  property  appear  un- 
worthy of  notice.  Their  hearts  were  entirely  detached  from 
it.  But  you  are  by  no  means  to  consider  that  this  "  having 
all  things  common  "  was  imposed  as  law,  or  as  an  ordinance 
embodied  in  their  ecclesiastical  regulations.  Each  freely 
gave,  and  2^^  freely  retained,  that  which  his  own  heart  dic- 
tated. Neither  did  they  purpose  to  equalise  the  disparity  in 
their  possessions  in  an  external  and  mechanical  manner.  We 
are,  on  the  contrary,  specially  informed  that  they  parted  them 
according  as  ''every  man  had  need," — i.e.,  at  the  time  and  to 
the  extent  which  his  necessities  demanded.  Nor  would  we 
have  you  less  attentively  observe  that  no  one  laid  claim,  no 
one  demanded,  but  every  proprietor  felt  self-constrained  to 
impart  to  the  brethren ;  so  that  this  exercise  of  active  love 
formed  a  decided  contrast  to  that  which  we  are  now  accus- 
tomed to  term  commimion.  Moreover,  finally,  the  peculiar 
mode  and  style  in  which  the  enthusiastic  love  of  the  primitive 
Christians  actively  demonstrated  itself  was  not  intended  to 
serve  as  a  prescribed  legal  precedent  for  all  successive 
Christian  churches.  Besides,  we  nowhere  find  this  style  of 
beneficence  exercised  subsequently  in  the  apostolic  churches. 
But  the  spirit  which,  from  a  free,  self-emanating  impulse, 
invested  that  form  at  Jerusalem,  is,  and  remains,  the  indis- 
pensable stamp  of  Christianity  to  this  hour.  We  are  to 
emulate  the  first  Christians  in  sincere,  practical,  and  self- 
denying  cheerful  brotherly  love;  and  if  we  come  short  of 
their  example  on  this  point,  nothing  is  more  certain  than 
that  their  faith  and  heavenly-mindedness  differed  in  some 
respects  from  ours. 

It  was  an  imperative  necessity  with  them  to  confess  the 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY.  293 

faith,  in  which  they  were  so  happy,  aloud  to  the  whole  world ; 
and  that  which  ranked  next  in  point  of  urgency  was  to  put  it 
in  action.  It  was  not  sufficient  for  them  to  pour  forth  their 
whole  soul  before  the  Lord  in  the  privacy  of  the  chamber, 
which  they  did  incessantly,  but  they  felt  constrained  likewise 
to  testify  aloud  of  Him  who  was  to  them  their  all  in  all,  and 
this  they  did  either  to  those  who  w^re  as  yet  uninformed  of 
our  Lord,  or  to  those  who  were  unwilling  to  know  Him. 
Following  the  custom  of  the  more  pious  among  their  nation, 
they  engaged  daily  in  united  prayer,  but  in  their  instance 
they  offered  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  to  whom,  as  to  their 
Friend  in  heaven,  they  boldly  sung  praises  in  the  temple  too. 
The  temple  was  still  God's  house,  as  it  had  ever  been ;  it 
was  only  according  to  the  natural  course  of  things  that  it 
should  have  been  transformed  into  the  first  Christian 
cathedral,  had  the  entire  Lsraelitish  nation,  chiefs  and  people, 
done  homage  to  Him  in  whom  the  shadows  and  types  of  the 
temple  were  all  fulfilled.  Now,  indeed,  it  was  devoted  to 
destruction.  But  as  long  as  it  stood,  it  was  even  to  Chris- 
tians a  sacred  spot  which  served  to  elevate  their  souls,  and 
where,  moreover,  they  might  reckon  upon  meeting  with  souls 
susceptible  of  evangelical  impressions.  Most  justly  does  the 
Lord  attach  high  importance  to  a  frank  and  d^ecided  confes- 
sion of  His  name.  Men  may  say  what  they  please,  but  the 
absence  of  profession  is  an  indication  that  Christianity  has 
not  yet  been  taken  up  in  good  sober  earnest.  But  confes- 
sion is  something  more  than  a  Christian  formula.  It  springs 
from  a  cheerful  impulse  of  the  heart,  and  is  based  upon 
conviction,  fixed  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and  precisely  hence  is  it 
an  open  and  undaunted  declaration  of  the  colours  and  ban- 
ners to  which  a  man  has  sworn  fidelity.  It  is  the  discovery 
of  the  sacred  mark  and  seal  which  Christ  has  stamped  on  the 
forehead  of  all  of  us  w^ho  are  His  disciples ;  a  discovery 
which  a  man,  moreover,  feels  himself  inwardly  constrained 


294  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

to  make  precisely  there  wliere  silence  is  equivalent  to 
acquiescence  in  worldly  unbelief ;  and  where  plain  speaking 
is  not  insured  against  the  danger  of  being  retorted  upon  with 
scorn,  derision,  or  with  even  worse  than  these.  Shame  upon 
that  cowardly  reticence  ani]  silence  I  How  frequently  are 
Christians  guilty  of  it,  and  how  much  does  it  serve  to  dis- 
grace and  cast  obloquy  upon  our  Lord's  cause,  with  vv^hich 
they  are  identified ;  and  to  what  profound  grief  does  it  not 
bring  those  Christian  brethren  of  whom  they  are  the  repre- 
sentatives ! 

And  when,  finally,  it  is  said  of  the  primitive  Christians, 
that  they  ''did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  with 
singleness  of  hearth'  w^e  thereby  get  a  glimpse  of  their 
prevailing  tone  of  mind.  Free  from  every  trace  of  con- 
strained and  painful  asceticism,  and  without  the  gloom  of 
conventual  life,  they  were  truly  cheerful,  bright,  and  inoffen- 
sively joyous  folk.  And  how  could  they  w^ell  have  been 
otherwise,  they  who  knew,  that  through  the  blood  of  Christ 
and  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  had  a  conscience  void 
of  offence  before  God  and  all  the  world,  and  that  they  w^ere 
children  of  their  heavenly  Father's  family,  for  the  present 
travellino:  too-ether  to  the  Jerusalem  above  ?  There  was  no- 
thing  artificial,  nothing  forced  or  affected  about  them,  but 
everything  bore  the  stamp  of  originality  and  truth.  Never 
hesitating  as  to  their  line  of  action,  and  ever  exercising  that 
tact  which  is  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  uniformly  chose 
the  right,  and  thereby  proved  themselves  to  belong  to  the 
"righteous''  for  whom  there  is  "no  laiu  given,"  because  the 
law  of  God  is  engi-aven  upon  their  hearts.  And  though,  in 
contemplation  of  their  heavenly  inheritance,  there  was  not 
one  of  them  but  couhl  say  w^ith  the  apostle  in  reference  to 
earthly  things,  "  I  have  learnt  in  ivhatsoever  state  I  am  there- 
with to  be  content,  and  am  instructed  both  to  befall  and  to 
be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  suffer  need."     Nevertheless, 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUKITY.  295 

the  least  temporal  advantage  Avitli  which  they  saw  themselves 
blest,  sufficed  to  animate  them  with  innocent,  child-like  joy, 
because  they  recognised  in  it  a  renewed  mark  of  God's  favour, 
who  had  taken  upon  Himself  to  provide  for  their  wants, 
both  of  soul  and  body,  and  who  kept  the  very  hairs  of  their 
heads  numbered.  And  hence  it  was  that  at  table  they 
praised  God,  ''and  did  eat  their  meat  luith  gladness  and 
singleness  of  heart''  no  longer  tormented  with  scruples  as  to 
what  was  permitted,  and  what  not ;  moreover,  they  felt 
themselves  to  be  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  not  only  upon 
Mount  Moriah,  but  likewise  in  their  dwellinsjs  and  houses, 
and  everywhere  else. 

Such,  my  friends,  were  the  characteristics  of  the  first 
Christian  Church.  You  will  admit  that  if  it  had  but  spread 
itself  over  the  whole  world,  there  would  have  been  no  prisons, 
no  workhouses,  no  courts  of  justice,  or  similar  institutions 
upon  earth.  The  steel  of  our  swords  would  have  been 
wrought  into  ploughshares,  and  the  metal  of  our  cannon 
would  have  been  converted  into  church-bells.  Goodness  and 
truth  would  everywhere  have  embraced  each  other,  and 
righteousness  and  peace  would  have  kissed  each  other. 

II.  It  may  readily  be  imagined  that  a  church,  the  funda- 
mental features  of  which  were  such  as  those  which  we  have 
just  depicted,  must  necessarily  have  shone  forth  with  won- 
drous effect  upon  a  world  wholly  estranged  from  the  faith. 
It  is  said  with  reference  to  its  members,  that  "  they  had 
favour  ivith  all  the  i^eople!'  This  is  saying  much.  It 
astonishes  us.  Modern  believers  have  not  been  so  happy 
in  their  experience.  And  why  not  ?  Much  might  be  said 
in  reply  to  this  question ;  and  in  enumerating  some  of  the 
reasons,  I  have  to  observe  that  the  majority  of  men  of  the 
world  regard  evangelical  professors  with  mistrust,  because 
they  find  so  many  among  them  who  are  self-convicted  of 
insincerity,  and  to  be  of  those  who  liold  indeed  the  word  of 


296  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

truth,  but  not  the  truth  of  the  Word ;  for  they  assume  the 
externals  of  Christianity  but  that  they  may  please  men,  or 
out  of  respect  to  prevalent  fashion,  or  from  political  interests, 
because  Christianity  is  conservative,  or  out  of  affection  to 
the  party  to  which  they  stand  j^ledged,  and  in  whose  pro- 
gramme the  article  of  a  positive  faith  is  inscribed.  Again, 
it  is  to  be  regretted,  that  of  true  believers,  those  are  ever 
becoming  more  rare  who  are  wholly  what  they  seem,  who 
know  how  to  keep  themselves  clear  of  morbid  developments, 
of  morbid  deformities  of  one  kind  or  another, — such  as  a 
censorious  spirit,  haughty  self -exaltation,  a  striving  after 
empty  honours  flimsily  masked  with  a  feigned  liumility, 
affected  unction,  a  mere  sham,  and  occasionally  untruthful- 
ness. Were  all  believers,  in  their  moral  features,  like  those 
children  of  the  Spirit  at  Jerusalem — if  all  they  said  and 
did  breathed  only  humility  and  love — were  their  life  but 
to  preach  the  glory  of  the  gospel  practically  as  much  as 
they  do  it  orally, — then  indeed  the  respect  of  all  and  the 
love  of  many  would  be  fully  assured  to  them  likewise ;  and 
they  would  also  serve,  as  did  their  prototypes  there,  not  only 
as  lighthouses  to  the  dismasted  and  rudderless  tempest-tossed 
vessels  on  the  sea  of  life  seeking  a  port  of  refuge,  but  they 
would  be  joyously  hailed  as  beacons  indicating  the  course  to 
be  followed,  and,  by  the  influence  of  sincere  personal  holi- 
ness, purely  reflecting  peace,  they  would  exert  irresistible 
powers  of  attraction  for  the  morally  noble,  beautiful,  and 
sublime.  The  effect  wrought  by  their  presence  would 
assuredly  be  similar  to  that  produced  at  Jerusalem,  (where 
''fear  came  tipon  every  soul,")  at  which  there  is  no  ground  for 
marvel ;  for,  contemplating  themselves  in  the  mirror  of  such 
a  regenerate  race,  they  would  feel  terrified  at  the  loss  of  their 
security,  and  they  would  inwardly  feel  themselves  sentenced 
and  condemned  for  their  own  personal  alienation  from  God, 
and  for  their  worldly-mindedness.     But  this  would  not  pre- 


THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

vent  the  reoccurrence  to  believers  of  the  very  same  experi- 
ence which  is  reported  of  those  who,  baptized  with  the  Spirit, 
were  the  first-fruits  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  viz.,  "  They 
had  favour  ivith  all  the  people.  And  the  Lord  added  to 
the  Church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 

Would  that  the  loving  church  of  Pentecost,  the  beautiful 
conception  of  which  we  retain  to  this  hour,  might  again 
somewhere  present  itself,  that  we,  at  least,  might  confidently 
affirm  of  some  one  spot  upon  earth,  "  Th&re,  if  you  desire  to 
see  it.  vou  will  find  a  church,  exhibiting,  in  its  carriage, 
genuine  and  living  Christianity ! "'  All  that  we  can  do,  in  the 
meanwhile,  to  satisfy  tlie  desire  of  those  who  clierish  such  a 
wish,  is  to  select  individual  impersonations  of  it  throughout 
the  world,  and  to  bring  the  latter  as  an  imaginary  body  be- 
fore them  ;  but  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be  other- 
wise. The  historic  manifestation  of  the  first  Christian  church 
was  at  once  both  prophetic  type  and  Divine  promise  for  the 
future.  The  prophecy  of  the  seer  Joel  is  as  yet  but  in  in- 
cipient accomplishment.  Another  Pentecost  of  all-absorb- 
ing proportions  is  in  the  distance.  May  this  ardently-hoped- 
for  time  presently  dawn  upon  this  our  night,  when  Immanuel 
shall  begin  to  wield  exclus''--'-  s^'''e»:eignty  upon  earth,  when 
Satan,  bound,  shall  be  committed  to  the  abyss,  and  humanity 
shall  form  one  fold  under  one  Shepherd;  and  it  shall  be 
said,  in  perfect  truth,  to  every  Church,  "  In  everything  ye 
are  enriclied  by  Him ;  in  faith,  in  utterance,  in  knowledge, 
in  all  diligence,  and  in  love,  so  that  ye  come  behind  in  no 
gift ;  waiting  for  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


Conqueror,  conquer  !  Euler,  reign  ! 
King,  assert  Thy  sovereign  right, 
Till  no  slavery  more  remain  ! 
Spread  the  kingdom  of  Thy  might ! 
Lead  the  captives  freely  out, 
Through  the  covenant  of  Thy  blood, 


^d  THE  PENTECOSTAL  COMMUNITY. 

From  our  dark  remorse  and  doubt. 
For  Thou  wiliest  but  our  good. 

"  Draw  us  to  Thy  cross,  0  Love  ! 
Crucify  with  Thee  whate'er 
Cannot  dwell  with  Thee  above ; 
Lead  us  to  those  regions  fair. 
Courage  !  long  the  time  may  seem. 
Yet  His  day  is  coming  fast ! 
We  shall  be  like  them  that  dream 
When  our  freedom  dawns  at  last." 


Gottfried  Arnold,  1696.— Lyra  Germanica, 


THE  ENr\ 


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BS2428.K94 

The  risen  Redeemer:  the  gospel  history 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00013  3738 


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